Plus, the viral video that got the White House’s attention. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

How Russia’s War Machine Brutalizes and Exploits Its Own Soldiers by Paul Sonne, Anton Troianovski, Milana Mazaeva, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Alina Lobzina

Justice Dept. Now Said to Be Reviewing 5.2 Million Pages of Epstein Files by Devlin Barrett

Health Dept. Pauses Child Care Funding to Minnesota, Citing State’s Fraud Scandal by Tim Balk and Ernesto Londoño

Gaza Aid Groups Face Suspensions Under New Israeli Rules by Ephrat Livni

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Plus, the mountain climbing brothers trying to rewrite the world's maps.

Here’s what we’re covering:

C.I.A. Conducted Drone Strike on Port in Venezuela by Julian E. Barnes and Tyler Pager

U.S. Kills 2 in Strike in Pacific, as Trump Pressures Venezuela by Eric Schmitt

Russia Threatens to Toughen Its Stance on Ending the War in Ukraine by Neil MacFarquhar and Ivan Nechepurenko

U.S. Pledges $2 Billion for U.N. Aid but Tells Agencies to ‘Adapt, Shrink, or Die’ by Nick Cumming-Bruce

As Youth Sports Professionalize, Kids Are Burning Out Fast by Ken Belson

Twins’ Peaks: The Gilbertson Brothers Want to Rewrite Your Country’s Map by Sarah Scoles

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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, food trends coming in 2026. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

Trump and Zelensky Meet to Iron Out Peace Plan, but Deal Remains Elusive by Aishvarya Kavi and Katie Rogers

With Critical Decisions Ahead, Netanyahu Faces Mounting Pressure by David M. Halbfinger

Trump Says the U.S. Struck a ‘Big Facility’ in Campaign Against Venezuela by Tyler Pager and Julian E. Barnes

Student Loan Borrowers in Default Could See Wages Garnished in Early 2026 by Emmett Lindner

More Student Loan Borrowers Are Shedding Debts in Bankruptcy by Tara Siegel Bernard

Winter Storm Brings Blizzard Conditions to Midwest by Johnny Diaz

How We’ll Eat in 2026: More Caution, More Crunch by Kim Severson

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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, the biggest lottery jackpots ever. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

Angering Denmark, Trump Appoints Special Envoy to Greenland by Amelia Nierenberg, Jeffrey Gettleman and Maya Tekeli

Trump Administration Orders Nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors to Leave Their Posts by Edward Wong

Trump Halts 5 Wind Farms Off the East Coast by Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman

Trump Announces New ‘Trump Class’ of Warships by Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Eric Schmitt and John Ismay

F.D.A. Approves New Weight-Loss Pill by Dani Blum

Jim Beam Halts Production, as Whiskey Market Struggles by Clay Risen

Here Are the 10 Biggest U.S. Lottery Jackpots Ever by The New York Times

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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, a day of Waymo chaos in San Francisco. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

What to Know on the Initial Release of Materials From the Epstein Files by Alan Feuer and Devlin Barrett

U.S. Coast Guard Pursues Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela by Nicholas Nehamas, Christiaan Triebert, Tyler Pager, Anatoly Kurmanaev and Eric Schmitt

R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s by Apoorva Mandavilli

As U.S. Guns Pour Into Canada, the Bodies Pile Up by Norimitsu Onishi

Waymo Suspended Service in San Francisco After Its Cars Stalled During Power Outage by Sonia A. Rao, Christina Morales and Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon

Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, your Friday news quiz.

Here’s what we’re covering:

What We Know About the Shootings at Brown and M.I.T. by Francesca Regalado

Trump Moves to End Gender-Related Care for Minors, Threatening Hospitals That Offer It by Azeen Ghorayshi, Amy Harmon and Reed Abelson

Trump Signs Order to Ease Restrictions on Marijuana by Luke Broadwater and Ashley Southall

Trump’s ‘Warrior Dividend’ for Troops Will Be Paid for by Pentagon Housing Funds by John Ismay and Ali Watkins

The D.N.C. Is Scrapping Its Report on What Went Wrong in 2024 by Shane Goldmacher

Europe to Lend $105 Billion to Ukraine, Without Touching Russian Funds by Jeanna Smialek

Lemon-Shaped World Is the Most Stretched-Out Planet Ever Seen by Jonathan O’Callaghan

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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, don’t blame the dogs in strollers. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

A Bellicose Trump Points Fingers in Defending His Record on the Economy by David E. Sanger

Republicans Clinch Democratic Bid to Force Vote on Health Subsidies by Michael Gold

Dan Bongino Says He Will Step Down From F.B.I. in January by Glenn Thrush, Maggie Haberman and Adam Goldman

Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship by Hamed Aleaziz

N.Y. Governor Will Sign Right-to-Die Bill for the Terminally Ill by Grace Ashford

Birthrates Are Falling, but Don’t Blame Dogs in Strollers by Amanda Taub

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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, the subway stop that’s also a museum. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

Johnson Rules Out House Vote to Extend Health Insurance Subsidies by Michael Gold and Carl Hulse

Trump Expands Travel Ban and Restrictions to 20 More Countries by Tyler Pager and Hamed Aleaziz

Trump Orders Blockade of Some Oil Tankers to and From Venezuela by Edward Wong, Simon Romero, Charlie Savage and Julian E. Barnes

White House Shrugs Off Rise in Unemployment Rate by Tony Romm

Trump Dangles Cash Payments to Buoy Voters’ Views of the Economy by Tony Romm and Andrew Duehren

A Powerful New Drug Is Creating a ‘Withdrawal Crisis’ in Philadelphia by Jan Hoffman

At Rome’s New Stations, Peruse Ancient Relics While Catching a Train by Elisabetta Povoledo

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Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, how foreign patients are paying for U.S. organs. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

Sydney Gunmen Were Motivated by ISIS, Australia’s Leader Says by Victoria Kim, Jin Yu Young, Yan Zhuang and Livia Albeck-Ripka

Bondi Suspects Were in Southern Philippines, Where ISIS Is Active by Jason Gutierrez and Sui-Lee Wee

Police Share New Images of Man Sought in Deadly Shooting at Brown by Mark Arsenault, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Jacey Fortin and Mitch Smith

Trump Files $10 Billion Suit Against BBC Over Documentary by Michael D. Shear

Justice Dept. Charges Four in Los Angeles Over Left-Wing Bomb Plot by Devlin Barrett

Born Deaf and Blind, She’s Caught in Trump’s Anti-Diversity Crusade by Sonia A. Rao

Nick Reiner’s Struggles With Drugs Left His Parents “Desperate” by Julia Jacobs and Nicole Sperling

Transplant Hospitals Court Patients Overseas Despite Organ Shortage by Brian M. Rosenthal and Mark Hansen

How the Pandemic Lockdowns Changed a Songbird’s Beak by Emily Anthes

Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Plus, the hunt for the gunman in a shooting at Brown University. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

Australian Police Plan to Charge Suspect in Bondi Massacre by Victoria Kim, Yan Zhuang, Jin Yu Young and Livia Albeck-Ripka

Police Say They Are Still Searching for Brown University Gunman by Mitch Smith, Qasim Nauman, Mark Arsenault and Thomas Gibbons-Neff

Rob Reiner, Actor Who Went on to Direct Classic Films, Dies at 78 by Julia Jacobs

Immigration Agents Are Using Air Passenger Data for Deportation Effort by Hamed Aleaziz

Canadians Rush to Buy Stockpiles of Boycotted U.S. Liquor by Michael Levenson

Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [email protected].

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.