When Samaiya Mushtaq was growing up, she imagined marrying a kind Muslim man, and at 21, she did. But while studying to become a psychiatrist in medical school, she realized her husband couldn’t meet her emotional needs — something she deeply craved. Despite the shame she felt, she got a divorce.

In this episode, Mushtaq shares the twists and turns of her unexpected second chance at love, where service is at the center. From working in health care during the pandemic to building a family to undertaking harrowing service trips to Gaza, she found what she truly needed in a marriage — only after letting go of what she thought she wanted.

Samaiya Mushtaq’s memoir will be published by Daybreak Press next winter.

This episode was inspired by her 2023 essay, “Must We Feel Shame Over Divorce?”

For more Modern Love, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. 

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Grammy-winning singer on overcoming child stardom, accepting her parents and being in control. Also, we have exciting news: You can check us out on YouTube. To watch our videos, go to: youtube.com/@theinterviewpodcast

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

A panel of federal judges ruled on Wednesday that many of President Trump’s tariffs were illegal, a decision that has threatened to derail his trade agenda.

Victor Schwartz, the wine importer at the center of the case, explains why he decided to take on the president, and Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The Times, discusses what options Mr. Trump has to save his trade war.

Guest:

• Victor Schwartz, a small wine importer and the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against Mr. Trump’s tariffs.
• Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The U.S. Court of International Trade said Mr. Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing his “reciprocal” tariffs globally.
• An appeals court spared the tariffs while it considered the challenge.
• From March: Wine businesses were struck with fears of disaster under the threat of huge tariffs.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

For Harvard students, this year’s graduation ceremony comes amid an intense standoff between one of America’s most prestigious universities and the United States government.

Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains how the conflict escalated and what it reveals about how far the administration will go to fulfill its agenda.

Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, covering Washington.

Background reading: 

• Harvard leaders see only bad outcomes ahead as they battle President Trump.
• The Trump administration says it is halting Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Sophie Park/Bloomberg

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Trump administration on Tuesday bypassed the traditional system of vaccine guidance and abruptly ended the government’s recommendation that two key groups of Americans receive vaccinations against Covid.

Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter at The New York Times, discusses what could be a turning point in public health.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter at The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that there was no clinical data to support additional Covid shots for healthy children.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Frederic J. Brown/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortions in the United States actually went up, in part because of a novel legal strategy that pitted blue states against red states.

Pam Belluck, who covers health and science for The Times, discusses that strategy and explains how proceedings against a New York doctor could take it apart.

Guest: Pam Belluck, a health and science reporter at The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The Louisiana case appears to be the first time criminal charges have been filed against an abortion provider for sending pills into a state with a ban.
• From 2024: Abortion shield laws are a new war between the states.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

A session with Terry Real, a marriage and family therapist, can get uncomfortable. He’s known to mirror and amplify the emotions of his clients, sometimes cursing and nearly yelling, often in an attempt to get men in touch with the emotions they’re not used to honoring.

Real says men are often pushed to shut off their expression of vulnerability when they’re young as part of the process of becoming a man. That process, he says, can lead to myriad problems in their relationships. He sees it as his job to pull them back into vulnerability and intimacy, reconfiguring their understanding of masculinity in order to build more wholesome and connected families.

In this episode, Real explains why vulnerability is so essential to healthy masculinity and why his work with men feels more urgent than ever. He explains why he thinks our current models of masculinity are broken and what it will take to build new ones.

This episode was inspired by a New York Times Magazine piece, “How I Learned That the Problem in My Marriage Was Me” by Daniel Oppenheimer.

For more Modern Love, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

For the past week, an international outcry has been building, particularly in Europe, over Israel’s plans to escalate its military campaign in Gaza and over its two-month-long blockade, which has put Gaza’s population on the brink of starvation.

On Wednesday in Washington D.C., two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed by a man who chanted “Free Palestine” afterward.

Aaron Boxerman, who covers Israel and Gaza for The Times, explains the desperate situation in Gaza … and Israel’s fears that the world has become an increasingly dangerous place for its people.

Guest: Aaron Boxerman, a reporter for The New York Times covering Israel and Gaza.

Background reading: 

• Britain, France and Canada have condemned Israel’s expansion into Gaza.
• Israel said it eased its blockade, but Gazans are still waiting for food.
• Here’s what we know about the deadly shooting outside the Jewish Museum in D.C.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Vice President JD Vance met with the new pope a few days ago. He then sat down with The Times to talk about faith, immigration, the law and the partisan temptation to go too far.

Ross Douthat, an opinion columnist and the host of the new podcast “Interesting Times,” discusses their conversation.

Guest: Ross Douthat, an Opinion columnist and the host of the “Interesting Times” podcast.

Background reading: 

• Ross’s conversation with JD Vance.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

President Trump once approached the challenge of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine as a straight-ahead deal that he could achieve easily. But after months of trying, he’s signaling that he might actually walk away.

Michael Crowley, who covers U.S. foreign policy for The New York Times, discusses the recent phone call between Mr. Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and what it tells us about how the conflict could end.

Guest: Michael Crowley, a reporter covering the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Trump’s new position on the war in Ukraine: Not my problem.
• In his call with Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin notched a diplomatic win, with an economic caveat.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.