In a high-stakes showdown this week, President Biden and the leaders of congress met face to face in an effort to avoid the United States defaulting on its debt for the first time in history.

Jim Tankersley, a White House correspondent for The Times, explains how close the country is to financial calamity, and the radical step Biden might take to avoid it.

Guest: Jim Tankersley, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The president has not wavered in his calls for Republicans to raise the nation’s borrowing limit without conditions. Privately, his aides have discussed other paths.
• What could a possible bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling look like?

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.

Last year, Times reporting revealed the many lies that the freshman Republican congressman George Santos had told about his life and career. Now he is facing legal consequences.

Michael Gold, who covers politics in New York for The Times, explains the charges against Mr. Santos and what they mean for his role in Congress.

Guest: Michael Gold, a New York politics correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• George Santos pleaded not guilty to charges that included accusations of fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits.
• The George Santos indictment, annotated.

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 episode contains detailed descriptions of sexual assault.

A jury in Manhattan has found former President Donald J. Trump legally liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.

Ben Weiser, who covers the Manhattan federal courts for The Times, tells the story of how a nearly 30-year-old case reached this moment.

Guest: Benjamin Weiser, a correspondent for The New York Times covering the Manhattan federal courts.

Background reading: 

• More than a dozen women have accused Mr. Trump of sexual misconduct, but this civil case is the only one to have been tested before a jury.
• The former president’s new campaign is rolling forward unimpeded. In quiet courtrooms, he faces more serious threats.

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.

For the past three years, the United States has relied on Title 42, a pandemic restriction that has allowed the swift expulsion of many migrants at the southern border. But by the end of the week, that rule will expire.

Miriam Jordan, who covers immigration for The Times, explains what that will mean on both sides of the border.

Guest: Miriam Jordan, a national correspondent covering immigration for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• An end to pandemic restrictions could bring thousands to the border.
• President Biden has used his executive authority to significantly expand the number of legal immigrants entering the U.S.

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.

Debate about ethical standards for Supreme Court justices has intensified after a series of revelations about undisclosed gifts, luxury travel and property deals. 

Adam Liptak, who covers the court for The Times, reviews the allegations of misconduct and the growing calls to do something about it.

Guest: Adam Liptak, a correspondent covering the United States Supreme Court for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas’s failure to disclose largess from a Republican donor have highlighted a dilemma.
• In written testimony sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the retired conservative judge J. Michael Luttig called for new ethics rules for Supreme Court justices.

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.

Lakishia Fell-Davis is aware that at this point, in 2023, most people are treating the coronavirus pandemic as a thing of the past. For her, though, Covid still poses a real threat: Fell-Davis has Type I diabetes, putting her at higher risk of hospitalization and long-term complications from illness. As such, her experience during the pandemic has shaped how she thinks about her daily life, especially at Ninety-Fifth Street Elementary School, where she has worked on and off for more than a decade as a substitute teacher and teaching assistant.

She felt much more comfortable when schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District were online during the first year and a half of the pandemic and her kids, Makayla and Kevin, were attending virtually. Sure, they missed their friends, but they were shy and soft-spoken children who had never really strayed far from home. They didn’t seem to mind the arrangement. And back then, Fell-Davis’s mother, who was paralyzed on her left side after surviving stomach cancer and two strokes, could visit them with relative peace of mind despite her poor health.

Fell-Davis cried when she learned that in the fall of 2021, the school district would require students and teachers to return to in-person learning. Her home — a cozy two-bedroom apartment in a calm neighborhood — had become her haven, the place where she had more control over her family’s health than she had anywhere else.

This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

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, thousands of writers went on strike against Hollywood studios over what they say is an existential threat to their livelihoods.

John Koblin, a media reporter for The New York Times, explains how streaming turned the most prolific era in American entertainment into an industry-changing labor dispute.

Guest: John Koblin, a media reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The dispute, which pits 11,500 television and screenwriters against the major studios, has shattered 15 years of labor peace in the entertainment business.
• In the years since the entertainment industry’s last strike, sweeping technological change has upended the television and movie business.

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.

In the face of an escalating opioid epidemic, the F.D.A. recently approved over-the-counter sales for Narcan — a lifesaving nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. 

Jan Hoffman, who covers health law for The Times, explains why the new availability of Narcan could change the trajectory of the epidemic.

Guest: Jan Hoffman, a health law correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Narcan can reverse opioid overdoses and public health officials hope that making the nasal spray more widely available could save lives and reduce America’s high rate of drug fatalities.
• Here are answers to 10 questions about Narcan.

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.

For the past few months, a single lawmaker has prevented Democrats from carrying out their agenda in Congress. For now, there is no simple solution in sight. 

Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The Times, explains the issue surrounding Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Guest: Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Ms. Feinstein, who has been absent from the Senate for more than a month after being diagnosed with shingles, sought a temporary replacement on the powerful Judiciary Committee.
• High-profile absences have created complications for Democrats in Congress and prompted new questions about the future of the Republican leadership.

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.

On Monday morning, the federal government took over a third failing bank — this time, First Republic.

Jeanna Smialek, an economy correspondent for The Times, discusses whether we are at the end of the banking crisis, or the start of a new phase of financial pain.

Guest: Jeanna Smialek, an economy correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• First Republic bank was seized by regulators and sold to JPMorgan Chase.
• Key takeaways from regulatory review of bank failures.

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.