About a decade ago, companies began offering pregnant women tests that promised to detect rare genetic disorders in their fetuses.

The tests initially looked for Down syndrome and worked well, but later tests for rarer conditions did not. An investigation has found that the grave predictions made by those newer tests are usually incorrect.

We look at why the tests are so wrong and what can be done about it.

Guest: Sarah Kliff, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• In just over a decade, prenatal tests have gone from laboratory experiments to an industry that serves more than a third of the pregnant women in America. The grave predictions of rare genetic disorders made by newer tests, however, are usually wrong.

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

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The Omicron variant is fueling record-breaking cases across the world and disrupting life. But it may not present as great a danger of hospitalization and severe illness as earlier variants. We explore why this is and what it means for the next stage of the pandemic.

Guest: Carl Zimmer, a science writer and author of the “Matter” column for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• New studies are providing the first indication of why the Omicron variant causes milder disease than previous versions of the coronavirus: It spares the lungs.
• The decision by U.S. health officials to shorten isolation periods for many infected with the coronavirus has drawn both tempered support and intense opposition from scientists.
• The growing consensus in nations with Omicron that the virus is moving too fast to catch is tempered by early evidence that the variant causes milder symptoms.

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.

With most natural disasters, the devastation is immediately apparent. But when a winter storm hit Texas, some of the damage was a lot less visible.

The stories of Iris Cantu, Suzanne Mitchell and Tumaini Criss showed the depth of the destruction.

Their lives were upended. The storm in February left their homes barely habitable, with collapsed ceilings and destroyed belongings, and it disrupted their children’s learning.

While the state investigated widespread blackouts from the storm, looking for accountability, the three women grappled with a more pressing question: How am I going to move forward with my life?

Today, we return to their stories.

Guest: Jack Healy, a Colorado-based national correspondent for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• As the freak winter storm raged, historically marginalized communities were among the first to face power outages.

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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.

The Good Shepherd Nursing Home in West Virginia lifted its coronavirus lockdown in February.

For months, residents had been confined to their rooms, unable to mix. But with everybody vaccinated, it was time to see one another again, albeit with rules on social distancing and mask wearing still in place.

There was Mass in the chapel, lunch in the dining room (decked out in Valentine’s Day decorations) and a favorite activity: the penny auction. Top prize? A tub of cheese puffs.

In March, we shared the home’s some of the relief and joy about the tiptoe back to normalcy. Today, we return to the home to see how life has changed.

Guest: Sarah Mervosh, a national reporter for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• The happiness inside the Good Shepherd Nursing Home, after a nearly a year in lockdown.

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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.

Dogecoin started out as a kind of inside joke in the world of cryptocurrency. However, earlier this year, it quickly became, for some, a very serious path to wealth.

Today, we return to the unlikely story of a 33-year-old who bought the cryptocurrency and became a millionaire in the process, to see what he has lost or gained in the time since.

Guest: Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• Glauber Contessoto went looking for something that could change his fortunes overnight. He found it in a joke cryptocurrency.

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.

When Officer Harry Dunn reported for work at the Capitol on the morning of Jan. 6, he expected a day of relatively normal protests.

At noon, the mood shifted. He received calls over his radio that the demonstrations were becoming violent. When he took up position on the west side of the Capitol, he said he realized just how dangerous the situation had become.

Inside the building, after the walls were breached, Officer Dunn found a chaotic scene — one in which officers were overwhelmed and the waves of rioters seemed endless. He also encountered racism from the pro-Trump mob, as did many of his Black co-workers.

We hear from Officer Dunn about what happened that day from his perspective.

Guest: Officer Harry Dunn, a Capitol Police officer who was on duty during the storming of the Capitol.

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Background reading:

• “Black officers fought a different battle” on Jan. 6, Officer Harry Dunn said. Here is what he saw and heard when rioters, including white supremacists, stormed the Capitol.

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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.

Bartenders, sous chefs, wait staff — back in August, managers in the U.S. hospitality industry were struggling to fill a range of roles at their establishments.

One owner of a gourmet burger restaurant in Houston said that before the pandemic, a job opening could easily get 100 applicants — but that was no longer the case; applications were in the single digits. “I had never seen it like this before in my career,” he told us. “I’ve been doing this for over 25 years.”

Managers blamed pandemic unemployment benefits for the dearth of job seekers. Employees said that the pandemic had opened their eyes to the realities of work.

Today, we return to the country’s labor shortage to find out why so many Americans have left their jobs, and whether the people we spoke to back in August are working again.

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Background reading: 

• Why is it so hard to hire right now? Experts weigh in on what’s going on in the labor market — and what companies can do to attract workers.
• The sharp rebound in hiring, especially in service industries, is widening opportunities and prompting employers to compete on pay.

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 year that started with the mass introduction of Covid vaccines and the astonishing scenes of rioting at the Capitol is ending with concern about new virus variants and fears about the effects of a warming climate.

As we approach the end of the year, we listen back to more of the events that defined 2021.

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Background reading: 

• In a volatile year again dominated by politics and the pandemic, “The Daily” sought out personal stories. Here’s a look back on the episodes that our team can’t forget.

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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By the end of last year, if you needed a coronavirus test, you could get one. But when vaccines arrived, focus shifted.

Many of the vaccinated felt like they didn’t need tests and demand took a nosedive. Testing sites were closed or converted into vaccination sites. And Abbott Laboratories, a major test manufacturer, wound up destroying millions.

However, with the surge of the new Omicron variant, which is less susceptible to vaccines, demand for testing is back — and it is outstripping supply.

Guest: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a Washington correspondent, covering health policy for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• President Biden came into office vowing to make coronavirus testing cheap and accessible, but matching supply with demand has been a persistent problem.

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Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was always going to be the last Democrat to get on board with President Biden’s $2.2 trillion climate, social spending and tax bill. But the White House was confident that a compromise could be reached.

On Sunday, that confidence was shattered: In an interview on Fox News, Mr. Manchin essentially declared that he could not support the bill as written, and he indicated that he was done negotiating all together.

Where does this leave Mr. Biden’s signature domestic policy goal?

Guest: Emily Cochrane, a correspondent for The New York Times, based in Washington.

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Background reading: 

• Mr. Manchin said on Sunday that he could not support the president’s signature bill, dooming his party’s drive to pass its marquee domestic policy legislation as written.
• Mr. Biden and his top aides have tried to salvage hopes of passing their domestic agenda, acknowledging that their only path forward is to repair a broken relationship with Mr. Manchin.

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.