‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine

The Russian Invasion Begins: After months of escalating tensions, President Vladimir V. Putin took to state television on Thursday to declare the start of a “special military operation” in Ukraine. In the prelude to the invasion and as Russian troops launched their attacks, we spoke to our colleagues on the ground as they hunkered down to cover the fighting. Guest: Sabrina Tavernise, a national correspondent for The New York Times; Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The Times and Michael Schwirtz, an investigative reporter for The Times. by The Daily

21 min listen

Ukrainians’ Choice: Fight or Flee?: For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the biggest in Europe since World War II. With the full-scale assault entering its second day on Friday, Ukrainians are coming to terms with the reality that the unthinkable has actually happened. We explore the significance of this moment and speak to Ukrainians on the ground. by The Daily

43 min listen

Russian Troops Advance: This episode contains strong language. On Monday night, as tensions deepened between Russia and Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin sent troops into two regions in eastern Ukraine where separatist forces are friendly to Moscow. With dispatches from our reporters on the ground, we analyze why the crisis has deteriorated in the past few days and whether the orders are a precursor to a wider war. Guest: Valerie Hopkins, a correspondent based in Moscow for The New York Times. by The Daily

25 min listen

How Europe Came Around on Sanctions: As Russian forces bombard Ukraine’s cities and strike civilian areas with increasingly powerful weapons, the European Union has adopted the largest package of sanctions ever imposed on a single country. The 27-nation bloc overcame a reputation for internal division to agree on the penalties — but will they be enough to help bring the war to an end? Guest: Matina Stevis-Gridneff, the Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times. by The Daily

30 min listen

Why U.S. Soldiers Won’t Come to Ukraine’s Rescue: Since the beginning of the standoff with Moscow over Ukraine, President Biden has been clear that he will not allow American troops to come into direct combat with Russians. Why has the U.S., a country that has intervened all over the world in various contexts, taken that powerful option off the table? Guest: David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

27 min listen

Four Paths Forward in Ukraine: It has been three weeks since the war in Ukraine began. The fighting grinds on and there is no clear end in sight. But what are the potential paths forward in the coming days and weeks? On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an address to Congress, proposed one such path, though it is an incredibly unlikely one: a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Elsewhere, Times reporting has suggested four other potential scenarios — a diplomatic end to the conflict; protracted monthslong fighting; China coming to Russia’s rescue; and President Vladimir V. Putin expanding the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders. We explore these scenarios and consider which of them is most likely to occur. Guest: David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

28 min listen

Will Sanctioning Oligarchs Change the War?: Among the actions taken by the West to punish Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine is the blacklisting of the incredibly rich and politically connected Russian businessmen known as oligarchs. But how could sanctions on Russia’s superwealthy increase the pressure on President Vladimir V. Putin to end the war? Guest: Matt Apuzzo, a reporter for The New York Times, based in Brussels. by The Daily

25 min listen

What’s Behind the Ban on Russian Oil?: On Tuesday morning, President Biden took to the podium at the White House to deliver a solemn and provocative speech. As punishment for waging war on Ukraine, he announced, the United States would cut off Russian oil imports. Mr. Biden said the move would require some sacrifice, but would be for the greater good. How much will the ban hurt Russia, and American consumers? Guest: Clifford Krauss, a national energy business correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

23 min listen

Russia and the U.S. Face Off Over Ukraine: The diplomatic talks in Geneva this week are of a kind not seen in a long time: an effort to defuse the possibility of a major war in Europe. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has amassed military equipment and personnel on the border with Ukraine. President Biden has warned that there will be consequences if Mr. Putin decides to invade, but what can Washington do to impel the Kremlin to back down? by The Daily

28 min listen

Why Zelensky Poses a Unique Threat to Putin: Since the start of the war in Ukraine, no single figure has antagonized President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as effectively or persistently as President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. His defiant videos and speeches have inspired the West into action and, by his own account, made him a target for Russian assassins. What is it about the comedian-turned-president and his rise to power that poses such a unique threat to Mr. Putin? Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times. by The Daily

33 min listen

The Battle for Kyiv: This episode contains strong language. Over the weekend, the battle for Ukraine arrived at the capital, Kyiv, as Russian forces attempted to advance. Would the Russian military quickly overrun the city? Or would Ukrainians, despite being outgunned, somehow find a way to defend their capital? Guest: Sabrina Tavernise, a national correspondent for The New York Times, reporting from Kyiv. by The Daily

28 min listen

Four Million Ukrainians in Limbo: Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, 10 million Ukrainians — about a quarter of the population — have been displaced, and about four million have fled the country. Iryna Baramidze is one of them. From a middle-class neighborhood of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, she has been married to her husband for 12 years and has an 11 year-old son, Yuri. Over three weeks, our producer Clare Toeniskoetter followed Iryna as she made an impossible choice. by The Daily

44 min listen

In Ukraine, the Men Who Must Stay and Fight: This episode contains strong language. As the Russian assault has intensified, the government in Ukraine has enacted martial law, requiring men to stay in the country and either join the fight or face the prospect of conscription. We tell the story of three of those men: Eugene, an I.T. worker from the northeastern city of Kharkiv; Tigran, an animator who attempted to cross the border into Poland; and Andrew, who signed up for the territorial defense force two weeks ago. Guests: Clare Toeniskoetter, a senior producer for The Daily; and Lynsea Garrison, a senior international producer for The Daily. by The Daily

42 min listen

The Confirmation Hearing of Ketanji Brown Jackson: Democratic support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who could become the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice, was never in much doubt. Less certain was the depth of Republican opposition. To analyze how the arguments have played out so far in her confirmation hearing, we look at four key moments. Guest: Adam Liptak, a reporter covering the Supreme Court for The New York Times. by The Daily

31 min listen

On the Road With Ukraine’s Refugees: This episode contains strong language. In response to Russia’s increasingly brutal campaign against Ukrainian towns and cities, an estimated 1.5 million people — most of them women and children — have fled Ukraine over the past 10 days. It’s the fastest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. While evacuating the capital city of Kyiv for Lviv in the west, a seven-hour journey that took two days and nights, the Daily host Sabrina Tavernise traveled alongside some of those fleeing the conflict. by The Daily

39 min listen

What to Expect From the Next Phase of the Pandemic: The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is incredibly contagious — it is able to infect people with even greater frequency than the Delta variant, and it is skilled at evading the immune system’s defenses. Much is still unknown about the new variant, and scientists are racing to understand its threat. But amid the uncertainty, there’s good news about a prospective new virus treatment: A pill by Pfizer is effective in reducing people’s risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19. We explore these two developments and what they could mean for the next phase of the pandemic. Guest: Carl Zimmer, a science writer and author of the “Matter” column for The New York Times. by The Daily

27 min listen

The Cost of Dissidence in Russia: Nearly two months into the war in Ukraine, many Russians have gone from shock and denial to support for their troops and anger at the West. What is behind this shifting view, and what does it mean for those who go against it? Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times. by The Daily

23 min listen

The Ballad of ‘Deepfake Drake’: This month, an anonymous producer jolted the music industry by using artificial intelligence to impersonate the singers Drake and the Weeknd, creating a fake track, “Heart on My Sleeve,” that quickly went viral. Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The Times, talks about how the song’s rise and fall could presage widespread changes in the way music is made. Guest: Joe Coscarelli, a culture correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

25 min listen

Could the U.S. See Another Covid Wave?: More than two years into the pandemic, coronavirus infections are surging in China and nations in Europe. The reason: BA.2, a highly contagious version of the Omicron variant. At the same time, the United States is doing away with a number of pandemic restrictions, with mask mandates ending and businesses no longer requiring proof of vaccination from customers. We explore what these BA.2 surges look like and ask whether the U.S. is ready for a new wave of Covid cases. Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter for The New York Times. by The Daily

19 min listen

Why Russia Hasn’t Defeated Ukraine: After invading, Russia’s military was expected to sweep through Ukraine within a few days, quickly seizing the capital, Kyiv, and installing a pro-Moscow government. It hasn’t worked out that way. Now, with Russia’s advance stalling, there are signs that President Vladimir V. Putin is ready to wage a much darker, grimmer campaign. Guest: Eric Schmitt, a senior writer covering terrorism and national security for The New York Times. by The Daily

30 min listen

How Two Friends Beat Amazon and Built a Union: This episode contains strong language. A year and a half ago, the Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Karen Weise began examining labor practices at Amazon. In the process, they met Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, two Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York, who had embarked on an improbable attempt to create the company’s first union. Last week, they did it. We sat down Mr. Smalls and Mr. Palmer to ask them how it happened. Guest: Jodi Kantor, an investigative reporter for The New York Times; and Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, warehouse workers who led the first successful unionization attempt at Amazon. by The Daily

54 min listen

The Sunday Read: 'The Battle for the World’s Most Powerful Cyberweapon': Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti investigate Pegasus, an Israeli spying tool that was acquired for use by the F.B.I., and which the United States government is now trying to ban. Pegasus is used globally. For nearly a decade, NSO, an Israeli firm, had been selling this surveillance software on a subscription basis to law-enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world, promising to consistently and reliably crack the encrypted communications of any iPhone or Android smartphone. The software has helped the authorities capture drug lords, thwart terrorist plots, fight organized crime, and, in one case, take down a global child-abuse ring, identifying suspects in more than 40 countries. But it has been prone to abuses of power: The Mexican government deployed Pegasus against journalists and political dissidents; and it was used to intercept communications with Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington P by The Daily

56 min listen

Why Democratic Governors Are Turning Against Mask Mandates: One by one, blue states across the United States have been rolling back their Covid-19 restrictions, going against C.D.C. guidelines that are still backed by the White House. Why are governors in states like California, Illinois and New York taking those actions? And what do they say about the shifting politics of the pandemic? Guest: Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

23 min listen

How Ukrainians View This Perilous Moment: Officials in the United States say that Russia could invade Ukraine as early as this week, which raises the question: Should an attack come, how will the Ukrainian people respond? The answer may be complicated. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, there has been a real push and pull between Russia and the West inside Ukraine. We hear about how Ukrainians are viewing the threat. Guest: Michael Schwirtz, an investigative reporter with The New York Times. by The Daily

34 min listen

Twitter’s Elon Musk Problem: Elon Musk’s recent investment in Twitter has turned a high-profile and frequent user of the platform into the company’s largest stakeholder. At first, the involvement of Mr. Musk, the C.E.O. of Tesla, was seen by the social media giant as a chance to gain a powerful ally. Instead, Twitter’s fate has suddenly become much harder to predict. Guest: Mike Isaac, a technology correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

29 min listen

Children and Covid: Your Questions, Answered: As the number of coronavirus infections in the United States surges, and school districts begin to reopen for in-person learning, some parents are apprehensive and full of questions. Recently, The Daily asked parents to send in their queries about children and Covid. We received about 600 responses. With the help of Emily Anthes, a reporter who covers the coronavirus, we try to provide some answers. Guest: Emily Anthes, a health and science reporter for The New York Times. by The Daily

28 min listen

The Sunday Read: ‘The Quest by Circadian Medicine to Make the Most of Our Body Clocks’: The concept of having a “body clock” is a familiar one, but less widespread is the awareness that our body contains several biological clocks. Understanding their whims and functions may help us optimize our lives and lead to better overall health, according to scientists. Every physiological system is represented by a clock, from the liver to the lungs, and each one is synced “to the central clock in the brain like an orchestra section following its conductor,” writes Kim Tingley, a New York Times journalist who explored the effect this knowledge has on how conditions are treated, and spoke to scientists about how misalignment or deregulation of these clocks can have a profound effect on our health. Exploring the components that dictate our lives, and how they work together like the “gears in a mechanical watch,” Ms. Tingley builds a case for the importance of paying attention to all our circadia by The Daily

54 min listen

The Life and Career of Colin Powell: Colin Powell, who in four decades of public service helped shape U.S. national security, died on Monday. He was 84. Despite a stellar career, Mr. Powell had expressed a fear that he would be remembered for a single event: his role in leading his country to war in Iraq. We look back on the achievements and setbacks of a trailblazing life. Guest: Robert Draper, writer for The New York Times Magazine and author of “To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq.” by The Daily

33 min listen

Can India Become the Next Global Superpower?: This month, India reached a notable milestone. The country’s population surpassed that of China, which had held the No. 1 position for at least three centuries. Alex Travelli, who covers South Asia and business for The Times, examines whether India can use its immense size to become an economic superpower. Guest: Alex Travelli, a South Asia business correspondent for The New York Times. by The Daily

30 min listen

Trump’s Involvement in a Plan to Seize Voting Machines: Since the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a clearer picture has emerged of the steps that President Donald J. Trump and his allies took to try to keep him in power and overturn the 2020 election. One of the biggest questions, however, has been how far was Mr. Trump willing to go in using the apparatus of the federal government to stay in power? The Times has uncovered that in the weeks after Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, Mr. Trump considered using the levers of the federal government to seize voting machines in swing states. What exactly did Mr. Trump do, and will this revelation tip the scales of the congressional effort to hold him legally accountable? by The Daily

24 min listen

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‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine

‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine

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