George Santos, the Republican representative-elect from New York, ran for office and won his seat in part on an inspiring personal story.

But when Times reporters started looking into his background, they made some astonishing revelations: Almost all of Mr. Santos’s story was fake.

Guests: Michael Gold, a reporter covering New York for The New York Times. Grace Ashford, a reporter covering New York politics for The Times.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Santos said that he was the “embodiment of the American dream.” But his résumé was largely fiction.
• On the first day of the 118th Congress, the Santos saga arrived on Capitol Hill.

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

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This episode contains strong language and descriptions of violence.
When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, many believed the country’s army would quickly crush the Ukrainian forces. Instead, Russian military failures have defined the war.

Today, we hear from Russian soldiers, and explore why a military superpower keeps making the same mistakes and why, despite it all, its soldiers keep going back to fight.

Guest: Michael Schwirtz, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Secret battle plans, intercepted communications and interviews with Russian soldiers explain how a “walk in the park” became a catastrophe for Russia.

For more information on today’s episode, visit 

nytimes.com/thedaily

. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This episode contains strong language. 
Republicans are set to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in four years. The transition is shaping up to be chaotic. 

Today, the 118th Congress will gather for the first time in the Capitol, yet there is still a question mark over who is going to be the Republican speaker of the House. 

Why is there still a fight over leadership?

Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Representative Kevin McCarthy is struggling to break through a wall of entrenched opposition to his speakership from hard-right lawmakers even after agreeing to weaken his leadership power.
• Mr. McCarthy has so far faced no viable challenger. But if he is unable to secure the votes, an alternative could quickly emerge. Here are the Republicans to watch. 

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

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This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.

Kirill, 24, worked at a nonprofit for homeless people in the Moscow region. He does not support the policies of President Vladimir V. Putin and is vehemently against the invasion of Ukraine.

After suffering setbacks in the war, Mr. Putin announced a military draft in September. Kirill was among those called up. In September, Sabrina Tavernise spoke to Kirill who was hiding to avoid being served his papers. Since then, Kirill decided to flee Russia to avoid the draft. Today, Sabrina Tavernise checks in with Kirill about what’s happened since he left his country.

Background reading

• Russia’s defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, said in October that the target of drafting 300,000 reservists was finished and no more drafts were planned.
• Across Moscow in October, there were noticeably fewer men at restaurants, stores and social gatherings. Many were called up to fight in Ukraine. Others fled to avoid being drafted.

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.

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since.

In May, the United States was stunned by the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that previewed the end of Roe v. Wade. After, we spoke to people on both sides of the abortion issue. Today, we revisit conversations with two women, an anti-abortion activist and an abortion provider, and discuss how their lives have changed since the end of the constitutional right to abortion.

Guests: 

• Anja Baker, an anti-abortion activist in Mississippi who works for Her PLAN, a project of the Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund.
• Dr. Jessica Rubino, a family medicine physician who was previously an abortion provider at Austin Women’s Health Center.

Background reading:

• The Times has been tracking the status of abortion laws in each state. Here are the latest updates.
• What does it cost to get an abortion now? With the procedure banned in many states, patients face added expenses for travel, lodging and child care. More of them are turning to charities for help.

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

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This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.

In July, NASA released new images captured from a point in space one million miles from Earth. Ancient galaxies carpeting the sky like jewels on black velvet. Fledgling stars shining out from deep within cumulus clouds of interstellar dust.

Today, we return to our episode about the moment when the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest space observatory ever built, sent its first images back to Earth — and explore what the telescope has discovered since then in its long journey across the universe. 

Guest: Kenneth Chang, a science reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading

• Here are more scenes of the universe captured by the Webb telescope.

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

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This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.

This year, we explored the story of Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, two Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York City, who had embarked on an improbable attempt to create the company’s first union and succeeded.

Today, we return to their story and learn about the current state of their organizing effort.

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.

Background reading

• Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer won the first successful unionization effort at any Amazon warehouse in the United States, one of the most significant labor victories in a generation.

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

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This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.

This episode contains strong language.

This year, in response to Russia’s increasingly brutal campaign against Ukrainian towns and cities, millions of people — most of them women and children — fled Ukraine. It was the fastest displacement of people in Europe since World War II.

Today, we return to the beginning of the invasion and reporting from our host Sabrina Tavernise, who traveled alongside some of those fleeing the conflict.

Background reading

• With most men legally prohibited from leaving Ukraine, the international border gates serve as a painful filter, splitting families as women and children move on.
• Spared direct attacks so far, Lviv, a city in Ukraine’s west, has become a transit point for thousands of refugees and for men and supplies headed to the front lines.

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

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During his time as a restaurant critic for The Times, Pete Wells has become both feared and revered in the world of dining — crowning those at the top and dethroning those whose time has passed.

But when the pandemic arrived, handing out stars to fancy restaurants made no sense anymore. A fundamental change was needed.

Guest: Pete Wells, a restaurant critic for The New York Times. 

Background reading: 

• For the return of The Times’s star ratings this year, Pete Wells visited La Piraña Lechonera, a weekend party in a Bronx trailer where one man serves up the rich flavors of Puerto Rico.

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

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A few weeks ago, when President Pedro Castillo of Peru attempted an illegal power grab and ended up in jail, the response was unexpected: Thousands of protesters took to the streets to support him, and some died.

Why does such a divisive leader have such fierce backing? And what does the upheaval in Peru tell us about the way the political winds are blowing in South America?

Guest: Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• What is going on in Peru and why are people protesting? Here’s what to know.
• Days after Mr. Castillo’s removal from office and arrest, thousands of his supporters have joined protests demanding his reinstatement. To them, he is the voice of the marginalized.

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.