Congress Just Gave Away Its Power to Trump

Last night, President Trump achieved a major victory: persuading both chambers of Congress to cancel billions of dollars in spending that they had already approved.In the process, the Republican-led Congress is giving President Trump the power that it, and it alone, is supposed to have.Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Congress approved a White House request to claw back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting, sending the measure to the president.Here’s where the cuts threaten access to PBS and NPR.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.

During an Oval Office meeting with congressional Republicans a few days ago, President Trump showed off the draft of a letter that would fire Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve.It’s the latest chapter in a dysfunctional relationship that has major implications for the global economy.Guest: Colby Smith, who covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The Times.Background reading: President Trump waved a copy of a draft letter firing Jerome H. Powell at a meeting in the Oval Office with House Republicans.Can Trump fire Powell? It’s likely that he lacks a case, legal experts say.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Tom Brenner/The New York Times 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.

During a congressional hearing yesterday, Republican lawmakers accused university leaders of failing to do enough to combat antisemitism on their campuses. That’s a claim that the university officials strongly rejected.The hearing was the latest attempt by Republicans to use what they see as the growing threat against Jews to their political advantage. And it reflects a plan that was first laid out by the Heritage Foundation, the same conservative think tank that produced Project 2025.That plan, known as Project Esther, may have once seemed far-fetched. Katie J.M. Baker explains how it has become a reality.Guest: Katie J.M. Baker, a national investigative correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Even before President Trump was re-elected, the Heritage Foundation, best known for Project 2025, set out to destroy pro-Palestinian activism in the United States. University leaders rejected Republican attacks, saying they were working to protect Jewish students but also free speech on their campuses.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Jared Soares for The New York Times 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.

A little over a week after the devastating floods in Central Texas, the death toll has reached more than 130 people — and the search for the missing continues.In the aftermath of the disaster, there have been mounting questions about how local officials handled the critical hours before and after the storm. Today, we look at the missed opportunities that may have contributed to the growing tragedy — and whether anything more could have been done to save lives.Guest: Christopher Flavelle, a Times reporter covering how President Trump is transforming the local government..Background reading: Kerr County, where most of the deaths occurred, failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.Years before the floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved the removal of many Camp Mystic buildings from flood zones, records show.Eight-year-olds at camp, families in their R.V.s: These were some of the lives lost to the Texas floods.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Carter Johnston for The New York Times 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.

When Republicans passed their big domestic policy bill just over a week ago, they kept making the same argument about sweeping changes to Medicaid: that the measures, including new work requirements, would encourage able-bodied adults to earn their health care, ultimately creating a fairer system for everyone. Critics said the opposite: they have predicted that millions of working people who need health care will lose it.The truth will emerge in rural and often Republican-voting areas where cuts to Medicaid funding will be felt most deeply. Natalie Kitroeff spoke to a family doctor in one of those places, western North Carolina, about what she thinks will happen to her patients.Guest: Shannon Dowler, a family physician and health advocate in western North Carolina.Background reading: In North Carolina, President Trump’s domestic policy law jeopardizes plans to reopen one rural county’s hospital — and health coverage for hundreds of thousands of state residents.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that the Senate’s version of Trump’s bill would mean that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times 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.

The best-selling author and motivational podcast host Mel Robbins is known for her blunt advice and viral wisdom, from The 5-Second Rule to countless proverbs on relationships, confidence and everyday stuck-ness. Her most recent book, “The Let Them Theory,” has given her readers a fresh perspective for navigating disappointment, rejection and uncertainty in life.On this week’s “Modern Love,” Robbins shares fives tips for letting go of control, and explains how these transformed her marriage and her relationship with her kids. She also reads a Modern Love essay, "You Have to Let Go to Move On,” about a woman who finally learns that real love doesn’t come from holding on tighter.For more Modern Love, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. 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.

The couple, successful artists married for 45 years, reflect on their newfound TikTok fame.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.

From the moment President Trump and Republicans took control of Washington this year, they set out to turn their longtime threats against public media, which they see as biased, into action.Now, a piece of Republican legislation would cut more than a billion dollars from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which finances PBS and NPR.As the bill makes its way through Congress, those who work in public media are warning that radio stations in red, rural and Republican America will feel the deepest impact.Guests: Jessica Cheung, a senior audio producer at The New York TimesTom Abbott, the general manager of KFSK-FM in Petersburg, Alaska Background reading: Some Republican senators voiced concern over the House-passed bill that would rescind money for NPR and PBS stations in their states.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo Credit: Ash Adams for The New York Times.Caption: The town of Petersburg, Alaska, voted for Donald Trump by an almost 2-to-1 margin in the last election. Now Republicans in Congress are trying to pass cuts that would defund the community’s radio station. 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.

After months of delaying his most extreme tariffs, President Trump is now threatening to revive the most aggressive version of his global trade war.America’s trading partners, investors and consumers are bracing for impact.The Times journalists Natalie Kitroeff, Ana Swanson, Maggie Haberman and Ben Casselman sit down to discuss what we can expect and what Mr. Trump’s endgame might be.Guest:Ana Swanson, who covers trade and international economics for The New York Times.Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump revived his trade war, threatening steep tariffs on allies unless they reach deals with the U.S.What is a trade deal? He takes an expansive view.The threatened tariffs aim to settle scores with countries, no matter their size.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times 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 months, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that they would expose the hidden, potentially sinister truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019.But over the past few days, the Trump administrationWhite House decided to shut down has poured cold water on the conspiracy theories surrounding the financier.Glenn Thrush, who covers the Justice Department for The Times, explains what happened.Guest: Glenn Thrush, who reports on the Justice Department for The New York Times.Background reading: The Trump administration acknowledged a lack of evidence from Epstein documents.Confronted over the Epstein files, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi tell their supporters to move on.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Pete Marovich for The New York Times 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.