The prosecution and the defense both opened their cases on Monday in the first criminal trial of Donald Trump.

Jonah Bromwich, who watched from inside the courtroom, walks us through the arguments.

Guest: Jonah E. Bromwich, a reporter for The New York Times covering criminal justice in New York.

A Salacious Conspiracy or Just 34 Pieces of Paper?

This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m.

Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioapp

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Daily News

Warning: this episode contains strong language.

Over the past week, students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments and, at times, seized academic buildings. In response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down and called in the local police to detain and arrest demonstrators.

As of Thursday, the police had arrested 2,000 people across more than 40 campuses, a situation so startling that President Biden could no longer ignore it.

Jonathan Wolfe, who has been covering the student protests for The Times, and Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent, discuss the history-making week.

Guest: 

Jonathan Wolfe, a senior staff editor on the newsletters team at The New York Times.
Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times covering President Biden and his administration.

The Protesters and the President

For half a century, the federal government has treated marijuana as one of the more dangerous drugs in the United States. On Tuesday, the Biden administration signaled a significant shift in approach.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The Times, explains how big an impact the proposed changes could have.

Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Biden Loosens Up on Weed

But in Washington, the Biden administration is challenging one of those bans in a case that is now before the Supreme Court, arguing that Idaho’s strict rules violate a federal law on emergency medical treatment.

Pam Belluck, a health and science reporter at The Times, and Abbie VanSickle, who covers the Supreme Court, explain how the federal law, known as EMTALA, relates to abortion, and how the case could reverberate beyond Idaho. 

Guests: 

Pam Belluck, a health and science reporter for The New York Times.
Abbie VanSickle, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times.

The New Abortion Fight Before the Supreme Court

American lawmakers have tried for years to ban TikTok, concerned that the video app’s links to China pose a national security risk.

Sapna Maheshwari, a technology reporter for The Times, explains the behind-the-scenes push to rein in TikTok and discusses what a ban could mean for the app’s 170 million users in the United States.

Guest: Sapna Maheshwari, who covers TikTok, technology and emerging media companies for The New York Times.

The Secret Push That Could Ban TikTok

In a special series leading up to Election Day, “The Daily” will explore what a second Trump presidency would look like, and what it could mean for American democracy.

In the first part, we will look at Tump’s plan for a second term. On the campaign trail, Trump has outlined a vision that is far more radical, vindictive and unchecked than his first one.

Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, political correspondents for The Times, and Charlie Savage, who covers national security, have found that behind Trump’s rhetoric is a highly coordinated plan, to make his vision a reality.

Guest:

Jonathan Swan, who covers politics and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for The New York Times.
Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent for The New York Times.
Charlie Savage, who covers national security and legal policy for The New York Times.

A Salacious Conspiracy or Just 34 Pieces of Paper?

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