'Animal,' Episode 4: Ferrets

The host of "Last Week Tonight" talks about what he’s learned in the ten years of making the show, why he doesn't consider himself a journalist and not giving in to nihilism.

For the first time in New York history, federal prosecutors have indicted the city’s sitting mayor, accusing him of accepting illegal campaign donations and luxury gifts in return for political favors.Emma Fitzsimmons, the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, discusses the rise and fall of Mayor Eric Adams.Guest: Emma G. Fitzsimmons, the City Hall bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: The indictment plunges Mr. Adams’s embattled administration further into chaos just months before he is set to face challengers in a hotly contested primary.Here are the two ways Mr. Adams could be forced from office.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of captivity, mental-health trauma and suicidal thoughts.A Times investigation into a leading chain of psychiatric hospitals in the United States reveals a world where profits trump medical needs, and patients are detained against their will.Jessica Silver-Greenberg, an investigative reporter for the Business section of The New York Times, tells the story of one woman who was trapped inside.Guest: Jessica Silver-Greenberg, an investigative reporter for the Business section of The New York Times.Background reading: How a leading chain of psychiatric hospitals traps patients.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In the past few days, Israel has waged intense air raids in Lebanon, killing more than 600 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The Times, explains the origins of the spiraling conflict between Israel and its regional adversary Hezbollah.Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Israel’s strikes on Lebanon are some of the deadliest in decades. Here is what we know about the bombardment.As Lebanon reels from Israeli attacks, the future is murky for a wounded Hezbollah.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Over the past year, frustration over the cost of housing in the United States has become a centerpiece of the presidential race, a focus of government policy and an agonizing nationwide problem.Conor Dougherty, who covers housing for The Times, explains why the origin of the housing crisis is what makes it so hard to solve.Guest: Conor Dougherty, who covers housing for The New York Times.Background reading: Why too few homes get built in the United States.A decade ago, Kalamazoo — and all of Michigan — had too many houses. Now it has a shortage.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

A Times investigation has found that Telegram, one of the world’s biggest messaging apps, with nearly a billion users, is also a giant black market and gathering place for the likes of terrorists and white supremacists.Adam Satariano, a technology reporter for The Times, discusses the story of Telegram and the arrest of its founder, Pavel Durov.Guest: Adam Satariano, a technology correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: How Telegram became a playground for criminals, extremists and terrorists.The criminal charges against Pavel Durov raised concerns in Silicon Valley about encryption and Telegram’s approach to privacy and security.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Robert Caro’s 1974 biography “The Power Broker” is a book befitting its subject, Robert Moses — the unelected parochial technocrat who used a series of appointed positions to entirely reshape New York City and its surrounding environment for generations to come. Like Moses, Caro’s book has exerted an enduring and outsize influence. Caro recently joined The Times’s Book Review Podcast to discuss his experience writing the seminal book, and how he accounts for its continuing legacy.You can find more information about that episode here.

The star novelist discusses her public persona, the discourse around her work and why reinvention isn’t her goal.

As the presidential race enters its final 45 days, we assemble a campaign round table with our colleagues from the politics desk.Maggie Haberman, Shane Goldmacher and Nate Cohn interpret this week’s biggest developments.Guest: Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent for The New York Times.Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.Background reading: Harris had stronger debate, polls find, but the race remains deadlocked.Here’s the latest on the 2024 elections.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Hundreds of electronic devices carried by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday in an audacious plot by Israel.Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses what the attack accomplished, and what it cost.Guest: Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: What we know about the deadly wireless-device explosions in Lebanon.Israel’s pager attack was a tactical success without a strategic goal, analysts say.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.