Sabrina Tavernisi
Appearances
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the opening up of Syria, tens of thousands of people were released from prisons across the country. Many had been locked away for years. Today, my colleague Christina Goldbaum takes us inside one of those prisons and tells us the story of a man who made it out. It's Tuesday, December 17th.
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
How does Bilal describe his mental state through all of this?
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
Christina, what was it like when you first got to Syria?
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
So they got one answer, but still don't have the other. Exactly. When you talked to Bilal's father, how was he feeling about this?
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
Christina, do they plan on continuing their search in the coming days?
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
Christina, thank you. Thanks for having me. We'll be right back. On Monday, the German government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a no confidence vote in the country's parliament. Schultz was forced to take the unusual step of calling for the vote because his three-party coalition splintered last month, leaving him without a parliamentary majority to pass laws or a budget.
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
New elections are slated for late February. And a judge has rejected the argument made by President-elect Donald Trump that he is protected by presidential immunity when it comes to his conviction in the state of New York. Judge Juan Merchan said on Monday that the immunity argument does not apply because the case involves unofficial and personal acts that preceded Trump's first term.
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
If the decision withstands the expected appeal, he could become the first felon to serve as president. Today's episode was produced by Rochelle Bonja, Claire Tennesketter, Lindsay Garrison, and Stella Tan, with help from Eric Krupke. It was edited by Patricia Willans, with help from Lindsay Garrison.
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
Contains original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, and Rowan Nemisto, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Lansford of Wonderly. Special thanks to Huayra Saad and Raham Roshed. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.
The Daily
Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities
We'll be right back. So, Christina, this man you met, Bilal, told you about how he got arrested and sent to Sidneya Prison. What did he say about what life was like inside the prison?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. Among the many plans that Donald Trump laid out on his first day as president was a directive to abandon the shift toward clean energy and double down on oil. Today, my colleague Coral Davenport on whether Trump can pull it off and what it would mean for the country if he did. It's Thursday, January 23rd.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So he could do it, but it could take his entire term.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Yes. Okay, so taken all together, even if Trump can only get some of these EV plans done, his push against EVs is presumably pretty good for automakers generally, right? Like less regulation is probably a good thing?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Okay, so the picture on Trump's plans is pretty mixed when it comes to these renewables. But what about his plans to increase oil production? What about what he wants to do with oil?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Right. So in other words, he can make it easier to drill more. But until the companies actually want to drill more, these policies won't result in more drilling. Right. Right. So if the companies aren't going to be drilling more, is there anything Trump can do to get energy prices lower?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So the one thing that the government could actually do as a policy lever to bring prices down, Trump is actually proposing to go in the opposite direction of.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So stepping back for a moment, you know, when we look holistically at everything laid out in these executive orders, What does all of it add up to, both for Trump's vision, but also for the United States and where it's headed when it comes to energy and its future?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So even though Trump faces a lot of roadblocks here, he would probably still be able to do enough to slow us down pretty meaningfully in terms of fighting climate change.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
It's a vision of America from the 1950s or the 1960s.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
On Wednesday, the Trump administration threatened federal employees with, quote, adverse consequences if they failed to report on colleagues who defy orders to purge diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from their agencies.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Tens of thousands of workers were put on notice that officials would not tolerate any efforts to hide the programs, which the Trump administration took the first step toward eliminating on Tuesday when it placed employees working in DEI offices across the government on administrative leave.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
And a new fire exploded north of Los Angeles, bringing fear once again to Southern California, more than two weeks after wildfires first tore through the region. The blaze, named the Hughes Fire, ignited just before 11 a.m. local time, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
It quickly consumed more than 5,000 acres in a little over two hours and forced tens of thousands of people to flee. Today's episode was produced by Rob Zipko, Shannon Lin, Alex Stern, and Sydney Harper. It was edited by M.J. Davis-Lynn and Liz O'Balin, with help from Lisa Chow. Contains original music by Dan Powell and Pat McCusker. And was engineered by Chris Wood.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Lansford of Wonderly. Special thanks to Yafim Shapiro and Nick Pittman. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Okay, let's dig into what these orders actually say. But before you really spell that out, Coral, give me a sense of what his reasoning is for doing this. Like, does he say that in the executive orders?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So it enhances their authority in a way.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So he's taking this kind of extraordinary step, but is the U.S.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Okay, so this may be an energy emergency kind of only by name, but he is declaring it, which means he is signaling that this is an important issue to him. This is going to be central to his new presidency. How does he propose taking it on?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Okay, so that's a lot of stuff. Let's start with oil, this big one that you mentioned at the beginning.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
And why exactly does he want to do those things in particular? Like, how does that fit into his vision?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
OK, so that's oil. You talked about a couple of different things. Electric vehicles was another piece of his plan. Tell me about what Trump is proposing on that front.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So, Coral, we're taking a close look this week at the most important parts of Trump's agenda so far. He laid them out with a whole series of executive orders on the first day of his presidency. For Wednesday's show, we looked at measures related to immigration. But today, we wanted to look at his efforts on energy policy, which is obviously hugely important for the U.S.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Coral, I'm kind of thinking as you're talking here about EVs about Elon Musk, who is, of course, the CEO of Tesla, which is this premier electric car company. And as of late, Trump's in some ways right hand man. So it seems like as the head of this company, he'd be a powerful opponent to this idea. Like he would not want Trump to rip up this Biden stuff when it comes to EVs. You would think so.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
economy, but also for the climate. You are digging into this in your reporting. Explain what Trump did this week.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
What else, Coral, is Trump proposing here? You mentioned wind. Yeah.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
But what does Trump gain from doing this to wind? I mean, aside from sticking it to Biden.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So, Coral, listening to you talk, it really feels like Trump's vision for this American energy future is essentially an effort to wipe away the last four years of what the climate movement had achieved.
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
So, Coral, you just said that there's a big question about how much of this very ambitious agenda Trump is actually going to be able to do. So let's go through this bit by bit, Coral. So where should we start in terms of whether this is going to work?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
And what about EVs? What can Trump do on that front?
The Daily
Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?
Is there any way that Trump can take action here, Coral, on EVs without Congress? Like, what can he do?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Hey, it's Sabrina. Before we get started, a few details about a major developing story that's still being pieced together. According to investigators, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, an armed man driving a rented pickup truck deliberately plowed into a crowd celebrating New Year's Eve in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So in part, it catches on because nothing else is on.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So suddenly there starts to be some real overlap between the UFC and MAGA world.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So back to your larger point, this is more than a sports league.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
From the New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So here you have Dana White convincing Trump to backtrack. And it really just shows how much power White has in this relationship, which is kind of pretty surprising based on everything we know about Trump.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So what happens in the campaign exactly with White?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Right. And just to remind people, this was the holy grail demographic, right? Because in part, it was so hard to reach the people who don't ordinarily follow politics and really don't necessarily vote that much.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Over the past five years, one sports league has gained popularity faster than any other. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC. Today, my colleague Matt Flegenheimer on the man behind the league and how his longtime friendship with Donald Trump has transformed what was once a fringe sport into a cultural and political powerhouse. It's Thursday, January 2nd. Matt Flegenheimer.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So once again, these two men are validated in their instincts to buck the system, like to go with their gut, really in the most extraordinary way, and in the end, kind of shock the establishment.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So these two have learned all the same lessons up to this point. But I guess, Matt, looking forward, you know, if politics, as we know, is downstream from culture and Trump is clearly identifying the UFC as a very valuable part of culture to him politically, then what can we learn about where we're headed looking at where the UFC is now? What does it tell us about the future?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Wow. And that sounds like Trump.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Ukraine's leader has followed through on his threat to shut down the last major pipeline that carried natural gas from Russia to Europe. By closing the pipeline, Ukraine hopes to undermine Russia's ability to fund its war against Ukraine and use energy as a weapon against Europe. Before it stopped operating on Wednesday, the pipeline had brought Russia more than $6 billion in revenue a year.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Ukraine's energy minister called the closure a, quote, "...historical event." Today's episode was produced by Nina Feldman, Olivia Natt, Sydney Harper, and Claire Tennis-Sketter, with help from Shannon Lind, Rochelle Bonja, and Aastha Chaturvedi. It was edited by Lexi Diao, with help from Michael Benoit, contains original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Chris Wood.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsberg of Wonderly. Special thanks to Joseph Bernstein. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So Matt, we're going to talk today about UFC, but I have something to admit to you. By all means. I've actually never watched it. So let's start with the basics, Matt. Tell us what the UFC is.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Okay, that probably explains why I've never heard of it.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
In a short speech last night, President Biden said that the driver, a U.S. Army veteran who died during the attack, had been inspired by the Islamic State and had expressed a clear desire to kill. Investigators said that they are still trying to determine whether he had acted alone or had any help from individuals or a group. These are the key facts we know for now.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
And what happens in November?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
OK, so this is an extraordinary scene. And I want you to tell me, Matt, how we got here. Like, how did Trump choose a UFC fight for his coming out party as president elect?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Okay, so tell me about Dana White.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
We'll be following developments over the next few hours and we'll bring them to you as soon as we can. Okay, here's today's show.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Okay, so he sees a path to it despite the fact that people like John McCain say it's human cockfighting and states are banning it.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So what happens given that no one really wants to host the thing?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So in this grand love story of Dana White and Donald Trump, this fight in Atlantic City is really the meet cute moment.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Like he's a proud mom or something.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Yeah, yeah, he spotted it too.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Okay, so clearly these two have a lot in common, right? They're businessmen. They both have this reality TV thing. They both see the potential in this very violent sport. What about their politics?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
You would alienate half your audience.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
So what's the effect of all of this? Like, does it actually have repercussions on his business?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Oh, hell yeah. Yeah, let's get some questions going. Let's get some questions going.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Right. So the lesson is, go with your gut.
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
And as you said, the sky doesn't fall. And in fact, it boosts his status and his league status. What's the next thing he does that really propels this league?
The Daily
Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics
Right, because remember, it was COVID. Everything shut down. The NBA stopped playing.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. Since the election of Donald Trump, cryptocurrency has surged to its highest level ever.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
And of course, we know the end of this story, which is that Trump wins the election.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
We'll be right back. Okay, so crypto now has this new level of influence in Washington, as you say. What does that look like exactly?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Incredibly powerful role because in government, personnel is policy. So this is a big deal.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
What do we know about Paul Atkins? My understanding is he did serve at the SEC before. He's well known in Wall Street. He's well known in Republican political circles.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Okay, so not only can crypto count on all of these new people coming into Congress, but they actually have these two incredibly important positions in the highest level of government. What is the effect of that likely to be for the industry, David? It feels almost like kind of crypto cabinet, right? Yeah.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
And can Atkins just do that? Like say these cases are now canceled?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
So in other words, they want to take power away from this quite powerful agency that had been going after them and give it to a much less powerful agency and presumably less resourced.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
But what justification does the crypto industry give for this? Presumably they're not saying, hey, U.S. government, invest in this thing so that my assets can go up. Like, why do they say it's good for the U.S. ?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Right. If the world is not running on the U.S. dollar, the U.S. has a lot bigger problems than cryptocurrency, I suppose. But let's just kind of carry this pipe dream out here. What would be in it for the U.S.? Like, why would the U.S. ever want to do something like this?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Okay, so in sum, it's possible that these crypto companies are actually going to get their entire wish list for Christmas. What might that mean for the rest of the U.S. economy?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
But I guess, David, one man's shackles is another man's safety valve, right? I mean, fundamentally, this is a very risky asset for all of the reasons we've discussed. And it does seem like watching these new government officials come in and understanding how friendly they are to the industry is
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
For me, it feels a bit like we might be witnessing the architecture of the next financial crisis being built before our eyes.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
We'll be right back. Here's what else you should know today. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve made their third and final rate cut of the year, lowering rates to about 4.4%. Jerome Powell, the Fed chairman, said the cuts mark a new phase in the Fed's plan to engineer a so-called soft landing for the economy.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
The Fed also forecast that there would be fewer rate reductions next year than previously expected, as it continues to try to strike a balance between controlling inflation and preventing job loss. And the stopgap spending bill that Republicans and Democrats agreed to to prevent a government shutdown is in jeopardy after President-elect Donald Trump condemned it.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Trump's move comes just days before a Saturday morning deadline to fund the government and underscored the extraordinarily fraught position that Republican leaders will have to manage in the new Congress when they face a president with a penchant for blowing up politically fraught compromises. Today's episode was produced by Mary Wilson, Michael Simon Johnson, Rochelle Bonja, and Will Reed.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
It was edited by Liz O'Balin, fact-checked by Susan Lee, contains original music by Marion Lozano and Dan Powell, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsberg of Wonderly. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Okay, so feels potentially very real. Why has crypto been having this resurgence?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Got it. So that's part of the explanation, this kind of opening up of the mainstream economy to this pretty rarefied, kind of weird, formerly on the fringes financial instrument. But I also remember at that point, David, because you and I, of course, did an episode about this. I remember that the federal government and the regulators did not like that so much.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
There was kind of a frenzy of concern among the federal government.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
And just remind us, David, what was Gensler's kind of thrust here? What was he trying to do?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Today, my colleague David Yaffe-Bellini on how a small renegade industry that began as a challenge to the financial system ended up on top of it. It's Thursday, December 19th. So, David, you and I have been talking for years now about the ups and downs and ups again of this thing that never really seems quite real or solid, and that is crypto. And now crypto has exploded in value.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
He was basically trying to make sure that crypto, which really is this pretty risky thing, that if it were to go belly up, it would not infect the broader economy.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
So, David, how did the crypto industry respond to that, to all of this that Gensler was doing?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Is this just another twist in the roller coaster or is it something bigger? Is this a pivotal moment?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
OK, so they dump all of this money into these congressional races, which, as you and I both know, is the oldest way and the most tried and true way of, you know, shaping political outcomes in the United States is putting money into politics.
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Okay, so they're at the big boy's table. What else do they do in this strategy to influence politics?
The Daily
Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
And David, tell me the deal with Trump and crypto, because my sense from reading your coverage and our colleagues' coverage is that he likes it, but I don't remember anything in his first term about crypto or his relationship with crypto. So tell me about Trump and crypto.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
But is that important to Israel at all? I mean, the diplomacy, you know, okay, there's the reputation, but it's not fundamentally related to its power in the region and winning, right?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
And after many failed attempts at a ceasefire, one has finally been agreed on. We're speaking on Wednesday afternoon. So far, what do we know about what it says?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
On Thursday, last-minute disputes delayed a vote by Israel's cabinet that would ratify the ceasefire. Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of it, a charge that Hamas denied. Despite the last-minute wrangling, the agreement is expected to eventually take effect. It will begin on Sunday, with Hamas releasing some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. We'll be right back.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
Here's what else you should know today. On a busy day of confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet, his pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, faced tough questions from Democrats about whether she could stand up to the president-elect and operate independently from him.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
Bondi repeatedly dodged questions about whether she agreed with Donald Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen and whether she would support his plan to pardon January 6th rioters.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
Speaking to the American public for the final time before departing office on Monday, President Joe Biden described what he said were his gravest concerns before receding into life as a private citizen.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
In a clear rebuke of Meta's decision to end its fact-checking program, Biden warned of a, quote, tech-industrial complex that he said is overwhelming Americans and called the country to, quote, hold social media platforms accountable. Special thanks to Adam Raskin. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
Patrick, you've talked through two phases. What's the third phase?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
So why, after all these months, is this ceasefire finally happening now?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
Yeah, so let's dig into each of those points then. Why don't you start with Israel stronger?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. After more than a year of war, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
And what exactly did Witkoff say? I mean, how did he put pressure on Netanyahu that may have kind of really moved it for the Israelis here?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
So is the Trump envoy working directly with the Biden people on this?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
We'll be right back. So, Patrick, how should we understand this deal and what it means for Gazans, for Hamas, for Israel, and really for the world?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
And Patrick, what about Hamas in the context of this deal? What does the deal mean for that group?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
Which is pretty remarkable given where we started, which was Israel saying that Hamas would be eliminated from the Gaza Strip.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
today, my colleague Patrick Kingsley, on why the agreement finally happened and what it means for Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East. It's Thursday, January 16th. Patrick, you've been covering this war since the very start. In fact, we've had you on so many times to explain to us the developments, to really educate us about what's going on there.
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
So to that point, what about Israel? What does this deal mean for Israel?
The Daily
A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza
You said that one of the reasons we're here in this moment talking about a ceasefire now is because Israel is actually in a stronger position today. And it makes me wonder about its position in the broader region. You know, as you said, a lot of Hamas's allies have been weakened. So do you think that through this war, Israel is ultimately in a more powerful position now in the region?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. An alarming new hack by China has penetrated the nerve center of the United States, our phone network. Today, my colleague David Sanger on what the scope of this new attack tells us about the growing power of one of America's biggest adversaries. It's Thursday, December 12th. David Sanger, you're back.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
And what does it mean that it goes from the Army to the Ministry of State Security? Why is that important?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
David, what's an example of the Chinese getting better? If you think back to the turning points in surveillance in China, what's an example?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Okay, so China is getting much better at all of this. That extra funding and people and focus is really starting to pay off. But big picture here, David, what is China trying to do with all of this? Like, what's it really up to here?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
So that's a huge step up, right? It's not just surveillance in this case. It's actually disrupting critical processes that are required for defense.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Okay, so that brings us to today and to this salt typhoon hack, which you say is still a problem because it's still lurking in our phone systems.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
It's not an easy engineering problem. So, David, just stepping back here for a second and thinking about this big picture, this all comes at quite a moment of potential change. We're just weeks away from President-elect Trump's inauguration with all of the potential kind of change and chaos he might bring with him on China, on a lot of these issues.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
And I'm wondering how you see it right now, what all of this means.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Well, David, it sounds like we're going to have you on for more episodes about hacking in the future.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
We'll be right back. Here's what else you should know today.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he'll step down from his role in the new year.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
His decision comes after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to replace Wray with longtime loyalist Kash Patel.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Under Wray, the FBI repeatedly investigated Trump, including by searching his Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents. And more details have emerged about Luigi Mangione, the man charged with killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
In a series of social media posts, Mangione described health problems, saying back pain that had once been a minor issue got worse before having surgery last year. Mangione stopped communicating with friends and family about six months ago. His mother filed a missing person report last month. Mangione, who was arrested on Monday in Pennsylvania, now faces a murder charge and has been denied bail.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
He's fighting extradition to New York. Today's episode was produced by Stella Tan and Mary Wilson. It was edited by Maria Byrne and Paige Cowett, contains original music by Dan Powell, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Lansford of Wonderly. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
So this hack really shook Washington, and also it shook a number of important American companies, these telecoms, as you're saying. Tell me, David, what we know about it.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Wow. Were they actually listening to Trump and Vance's phone calls?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
That's amazing. I mean, that is really a violation of American security.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Basically, the way that the U.S. government phone taps people it thinks are spying for other countries.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Wow. So the Chinese actually saw with this kind of, you know, see-through glasses they got in this hack who the U.S. suspected was a Chinese spy.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Interesting. But to what extent does it affect everyday Americans? Like, should I be worried about it?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Interesting. So if I'm doing a WhatsApp call, then that is off limits because that's encrypted.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Exactly. It needed access to people's phones to be able to see what the conversations had been.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
So, David, you are here today to talk about a hack. And close listeners of the show will know that this is a topic you do sometimes talk about on The Daily. We counted. You have done three shows on hacking in recent years. But this particular hack, this one you're looking into right now, this one is different, you say.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
So basically, these hackers kind of tried every door, found one that was open, and then was never challenged once they got inside that door.
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
Okay, David, so you've explained how this hack was really the biggest anyone in Washington and you had ever seen. It compromised really vital stuff. I understand all that, but haven't the U.S. and China been spying on each other for a long time? Like, is there a reason for us to think that this is actually worse than those other times?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
We'll be right back. So, David, how did we get to the point where China got so good at hacking?
The Daily
How China Hacked America’s Phone Network
So where was China in terms of its ability in surveillance when he came in?
The Daily
The Year in Music
And I'd be damned if I can't slow dance with you Compose some sugar on me, honey, too It's a real-life bookie and a real-life hoedown
The Daily
The Year in Music
I have a fun idea, babe Maybe just stay inside I know you're craving some fresh air But the ceiling fan is so nice And we could live so happily
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. A new study has found that nearly three-quarters of American adults are now obese or overweight. And there's been growing concern among politicians, scientists, and consumers about one potential culprit. Are ultra-processed foods to blame for addiction to sugar and ultra-processed foods? ultra-processed food.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Okay, so in a controlled environment, in the perfect scenario, which Kevin Hall created, it is true that people do eat more calories and do gain weight from these ultra-processed foods. But do we know exactly why they do, Alice?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
These foods are being designed to make us want to eat them and want to eat more of them.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Okay. You should have told me that before the ring ding.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Okay, so we know that ultra-processed foods can cause weight gain, at least according to this small study, and we're starting to get more research to understand why that happens. But why has it taken so long to get to this point?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
What does that growing recognition look like? What's happening?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Okay, Alice, here's the part in the podcast where I ask you how you think about these foods, because you're the expert. I want to probably try to avoid a lot of these foods, and I want to know how you think about doing that, given that they're kind of everywhere.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
And tell me about this category. What are ultra-processed foods exactly?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Thinking about the future of this problem, Alice, I wonder if an analogy is the tobacco companies in the beginning of the conversation and the cigarette industry, right? That back in the beginning, the industry was incredibly well-funded. It was very difficult for scientists to prove that cigarettes were, in fact, bad for you. But eventually they did, and eventually they were regulated.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
And I wonder in some way if ultra-processed food might also follow that same trajectory but just kind of be at the beginning of it right now.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Here's what else you should know today. On Thursday, President Biden said that he was commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 people in a sweeping act of clemency during his final weeks in office. The White House said that it was the largest number of commutations by an American president in a single day.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Okay, so these are foods that have really long lists of ingredients, the names of which you kind of don't understand what they are, right? Yeah. That's right. Okay, Alice, I went to the grocery store this morning knowing that you were going to come in and be recording with us. And we have some items here. Okay. I don't know if you can see this here. Do you see? Ringdings? Ringdings.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
The commutations affect those who have been released from prison and placed in home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. The pardons are for people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes, including drug offenses. As a senator, Biden had championed a 1994 crime bill that many experts say fueled mass incarceration.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
He has since expressed regret for supporting that legislation, and he committed during the 2020 campaign to addressing the long drug sentences that resulted. The announcement came two weeks after Biden issued a pardon for his son, Hunter, a decision that was harshly criticized by both Republicans and Democrats. A quick reminder to catch a new episode of The Interview right here tomorrow.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
This week, Lulu Garcia Navarro talks with travel guru Rick Steves about why he spent his life encouraging Americans to get outside their comfort zones.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Today's episode was produced by Alex Stern, Sydney Harper, and Ricky Nowitzki, with help from Olivia Natt and Michael Simon-Johnson. It was edited by Lisa Chow and Chris Haxel, contains original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Lansford of Wonderland. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Just a few ingredients. High fructose corn syrup, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, preservative sorbic acid, sodium cassonate, polysorbate 60, and dried eggs. Oh my goodness.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
I did. You're right. That's why I pulled it off the shelf. I'm just going to show you. Here is Wonder Bread monoglycerin. Let's see. Hold on a second. Sugar. Calcium peroxide? That sounds ultra-processed to me, Sabrina. Okay. Here's one. Looked healthy to me, and I often eat these things. Yoplait Original Made with Real Fruit Mountain Blueberry Yogurt. Okay.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
It has blueberries, milk, sugar, gelatin, cornstarch, pectin, natural flavor, vitamin A, acetate, and modified food starch.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
That is ultra processed. Okay. So everything in my grocery cart is ultra processed, even the yogurt. Pretty much.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
And Alice, what's the universe here? Like how much of our food is ultra-processed here in America?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Okay, so here's my question for you. Most people, I think, would acknowledge that ultra-processed foods are kind of bad. Now, of course, you make the point that it's a huge category, but lots of what's in ultra-processed foods isn't really something that we think generally we should be putting a lot of into our bodies. But it's everywhere.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
So why have these foods been allowed to proliferate like this? What is driving this kind of expansion of these foods?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Today, my colleague, nutrition writer Alice Callahan, on how these foods came to be such a big part of what we eat and why that's so hard to change. It's Friday, December 13th.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
So tobacco companies kind of originally were the pioneers here, bringing us, it sounds like, highly addictive food, kind of like cigarettes.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
So you cover nutrition for The Times, and you, as I understand, are uniquely qualified to have this conversation about ultra-processed foods because you literally have a PhD in nutrition.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
It is hyper palatable, like uber hyper. We'll be right back. So, Alice, what do you mean when you said it was harder than you'd think to prove that ultra-processed foods cause obesity and other health problems?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
In other words, just because people are becoming more obese over time and as a result suffering from diseases like type 2 diabetes, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's the ultra-processed foods that's causing that obesity rise.
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
So, Alice, how do you isolate the driver of worse health then? How do you go about doing that?
The Daily
A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods
Right. You're not really going to say, hey, 10,000 people, come live in my lab for 10 years and I'm going to control everything and you're going to eat exactly the same thing as that guy.