How Democrats Defied the Odds

$Speaker McCarthy Has Lost Control of His House: Earlier this month, a group of hard-right Republicans hijacked the floor of the House of Representatives in protest against Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The mutiny, staged by nearly a dozen members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, raised questions about whether the speaker could continue to govern his slim and fractious majority. Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The Times, explains how and why this small group of members made the chamber ungovernable. Guest: Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.$

A New Plan for Student Loans: President Biden’s announcement this week that he would cancel chunks of student loan debt stands to have a major impact for many of the 45 million Americans who owe $1.6 trillion for having gone to college. Who will benefit from the plan, what will the cost be to the taxpayer and the economy, and, ultimately, could the White House have done more? Guest: Stacy Cowley, a finance reporter for The New York Times. by The Daily

25 min listen

Introducing The Headlines: May 22: Our new show brings you the biggest stories in about 10 minutes. It's the complement to The Daily you’ve been waiting for. This episode includes: A Group of 7 Summit Wrap-Up, with our chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker Even Flirting With U.S. Default Takes Economic Toll, with our economics reporter Ben Casselman Greece Says It Doesn’t Ditch Migrants at Sea. It Was Caught in the Act, with our Brussels bureau chief, Matina Stevis-Gridneff We'll be sharing The Headlines every day this week, right here in your Daily feed. To get the full experience, download New York Times Audio, a new app that's home to all our audio journalism, including exclusive new shows. Free for Times news subscribers. Download it at nytimes.com/audioapp. by The Daily

11 min listen

Mexico’s Path to Legalizing Abortion: In a major turn of events in Mexico, which has one of the largest Catholic populations in the world, its Supreme Court last week decriminalized abortions. The Supreme Court ruling is a milestone for Mexico’s feminist movement. But change might not come quickly: Abortion law is mostly administered at the state level in Mexico, much of the country remains culturally conservative, and many Mexican medical workers are morally opposed to abortion. In a country where polls indicate most people don’t believe that abortion should be legal, what effect will the ruling have in practice? Guest: Natalie Kitroeff, a correspondent covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for The New York Times. by The Daily

22 min listen

Vancouver’s Unconventional Approach to Its Fentanyl Crisis: An influx of Fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic narcotic, has aggravated the opioid crisis in the United States and prompted communities to scramble for ways to lower the skyrocketing rates of overdose deaths. In Vancouver, a Canadian city that has been at the forefront of innovative approaches to drug use, a novel and surprising tactic is being tried: It’s called “safer supply.” Guest: Stephanie Nolen, a global health reporter for The New York Times. by The Daily

34 min listen

Is This How Roe Ends?: The revelation that the Supreme Court could end the constitutional right to abortion in the United States has set off a political firestorm and deepened divisions about one of the most contentious issues in American society. What exactly is in the draft opinion that was leaked this week, and what does it mean for the court and for the country? Guest: Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times. by The Daily

28 min listen

Inside Ukraine’s Drone Attacks on Russia: As Ukraine’s counteroffensive grinds on, it’s increasingly turning to a secret drone program that is hitting targets deep inside Russian territory. At least three different Ukrainian-made drones have been used in attacks inside Russia, including on Moscow, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Christiaan Triebert, a journalist on The Times’s Visual Investigations team, explains the origins of that program. We also speak to Serhiy Prytula, a former Ukrainian television host who is now a key force behind it. Guest: Christiaan Triebert, a journalist on The New York Times’s Visual Investigations team. by The Daily

37 min listen