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Sabrina Tavernisi

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The Daily

Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities

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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

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How does Bilal describe his mental state through all of this?

The Daily

Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities

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Christina, why had the guard done that?

The Daily

Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities

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Christina, what was it like when you first got to Syria?

The Daily

Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities

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How has it been for Bilal to be home?

The Daily

Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities

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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

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Christina, do they plan on continuing their search in the coming days?

The Daily

Syria Unearths Years of Atrocities

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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?

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So he could do it, but it could take his entire term.

The Daily

Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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It's a vision of America from the 1950s or the 1960s.

The Daily

Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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So it enhances their authority in a way.

The Daily

Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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What else, Coral, is Trump proposing here? You mentioned wind. Yeah.

The Daily

Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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And what about EVs? What can Trump do on that front?

The Daily

Trump Plans to Abandon Clean Energy. Can He Do It?

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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

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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

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So in part, it catches on because nothing else is on.

The Daily

Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics

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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

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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

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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

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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

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So what happens in the campaign exactly with White?

The Daily

Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Okay, that probably explains why I've never heard of it.

The Daily

Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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You would alienate half your audience.

The Daily

Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics

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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

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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

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Right. So the lesson is, go with your gut.

The Daily

Dana White, Donald Trump and the Rise of Cage-Match Politics

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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

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Right, because remember, it was COVID. Everything shut down. The NBA stopped playing.

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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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

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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

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Incredibly powerful role because in government, personnel is policy. So this is a big deal.

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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How much is it now?

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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And can Atkins just do that? Like say these cases are now canceled?

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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And what is that exactly? A national Bitcoin stockpile?

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Okay, so feels potentially very real. Why has crypto been having this resurgence?

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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There was kind of a frenzy of concern among the federal government.

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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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

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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

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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

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And this was new for the crypto industry? Yes.

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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And was prosecuted and went to jail for it.

The Daily

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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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

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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

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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

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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

Crypto’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

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Okay, World Liberty Financial.

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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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

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Patrick, thank you.

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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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.

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A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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.

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A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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Bondi is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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.

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A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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And Patrick, what still remains to be negotiated exactly?

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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Patrick, you've talked through two phases. What's the third phase?

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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So why, after all these months, is this ceasefire finally happening now?

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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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

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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

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So is the Trump envoy working directly with the Biden people on this?

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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And Patrick, who will do all of that rebuilding?

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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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

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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

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So to that point, what about Israel? What does this deal mean for Israel?

The Daily

A Fragile Cease-Fire in Gaza

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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

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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.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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And what does it mean that it goes from the Army to the Ministry of State Security? Why is that important?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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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.

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OK, so that's clearly a very serious problem.

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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.

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And I'm wondering how you see it right now, what all of this means.

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Well, David, it sounds like we're going to have you on for more episodes about hacking in the future.

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David, we look forward to it.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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We'll be right back. Here's what else you should know today.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he'll step down from his role in the new year.

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His decision comes after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to replace Wray with longtime loyalist Kash Patel.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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Wow. Were they actually listening to Trump and Vance's phone calls?

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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That's amazing. I mean, that is really a violation of American security.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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Basically, the way that the U.S. government phone taps people it thinks are spying for other countries.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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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.

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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Interesting. But to what extent does it affect everyday Americans? Like, should I be worried about it?

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How China Hacked America’s Phone Network

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Interesting. So if I'm doing a WhatsApp call, then that is off limits because that's encrypted.

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Exactly. It needed access to people's phones to be able to see what the conversations had been.

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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.

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So how did China actually pull it off?

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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.

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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?

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We'll be right back. So, David, how did we get to the point where China got so good at hacking?

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So where was China in terms of its ability in surveillance when he came in?

The Daily

The Year in Music

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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

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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

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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?

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These foods are being designed to make us want to eat them and want to eat more of them.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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Okay. You should have told me that before the ring ding.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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?

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What does that growing recognition look like? What's happening?

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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And tell me about this category. What are ultra-processed foods exactly?

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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It has blueberries, milk, sugar, gelatin, cornstarch, pectin, natural flavor, vitamin A, acetate, and modified food starch.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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That is ultra processed. Okay. So everything in my grocery cart is ultra processed, even the yogurt. Pretty much.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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And Alice, what's the universe here? Like how much of our food is ultra-processed here in America?

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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And what's hyperpalatable?

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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So tobacco companies kind of originally were the pioneers here, bringing us, it sounds like, highly addictive food, kind of like cigarettes.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.

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Alice, I bit into my ring ding.

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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?

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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.

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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So, Alice, how do you isolate the driver of worse health then? How do you go about doing that?

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A Turning Point for Ultraprocessed Foods

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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.