Three years after the start of Covid, the central mystery of the pandemic — how exactly it began — remains unsolved. But recently, the debate about the source of the coronavirus has re-emerged, this time in Congress.

The Energy Department has concluded, with “low confidence,” that an accidental laboratory leak in China was most likely the origin, but politics are making it harder to find definitive answers.

Guest: Benjamin Mueller, a health and science correspondent for The New York Times.

What to Know About the Covid Lab Leak Theory

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Columbia University has become the epicenter of a growing showdown between student protesters, college administrators and Congress over the war in Gaza and the limits of free speech.

Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York politics and government for The Times, walks us through the intense week at the university. And Isabella Ramírez, the editor in chief of Columbia’s undergraduate newspaper, explains what it has all looked like to a student on campus.

Guest: 

Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York politics and government for The New York Times
Isabella Ramírez, editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator

The Crackdown on Student Protesters

Lawmakers approved a giant new tranche of support for Ukraine late last night after a tortured passage through the U.S. Congress, where it was nearly derailed by right-wing resistance in the House.

Marc Santora, a Times reporter in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, explains what effect the money could have, given Ukraine’s increasing desperation on the battlefield.

Guest: Marc Santora, who covers Ukraine for The New York Times.

Is $60 Billion Enough to Save Ukraine?

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?

The outbreak of bird flu currently tearing through the nation’s poultry is the worst in U.S. history. Scientists say it is now spreading beyond farms into places and species it has never been before.

Emily Anthes, a science reporter for The Times, explains.

Guest: Emily Anthes, a science reporter for The New York Times.

The Evolving Danger of the New Bird Flu

The chef Samin Nosrat lives by the idea that food is love. Her Netflix series, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” and the James Beard Award-winning cookbook that inspired it, were about using food to build community and forge connections. Since then, all of her creative projects and collaborations have focused on inspiring people to cook, and eat, with their friends and loved ones.

After the recent loss of her father, Samin has gained an even deeper understanding of what it means to savor a meal — or even an hour — with loved ones. This week, she reads an essay about exactly that: “You May Want to Marry My Husband” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It’s one of the most-read Modern Love essays ever.

What to Know About the Covid Lab Leak Theory

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