The Autism Diagnosis Problem

Once primarily limited to severely disabled people, autism began to be viewed as a spectrum that included children and adults far less impaired. Along the way, the disorder also became an identity, embraced by college graduates and even by some of the world’s most successful people, like Elon Musk and Bill Gates.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called the steep rise in autism cases “an epidemic.” He blames theories of causality that mainstream scientists reject — like vaccines and, more recently, Tylenol — and has instructed the C.D.C. to abandon its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism.Today, Azeen Ghorayshi explains what’s really driving the increase in diagnoses.Guest: Azeen Ghorayshi, a science reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: Should the autism spectrum be split apart?There are no easy answers for parents of children with autism.Photo: Eric Gay/Associated PressFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

“Wicked” was one of the biggest movies of 2024. It was culturally ubiquitous, a box office smash and an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Now, a year later, “Wicked: For Good” arrives in theaters to finish the tale of the complicated friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Can “Wicked: For Good” be the sensation that its predecessor was? Will it inject new life into a movie business that has suffered a historically bad business year? Will it satisfy the legions of “Wicked” fans who have been waiting to see their favorite musical brought to the big screen?Gilbert Cruz is joined by Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter for The New York Times who profiled the stars of “Wicked,” and Madison Malone Kircher, a reporter for the Styles desk and affirmed “Wicked” fanatic, to discuss what “Wicked: For Good” means for the movies. On Today’s EpisodeMadison Malone Kircher is a reporter covering internet culture for The Times.Kyle Buchanan is a pop culture reporter and serves as The Projectionist, the awards season columnist for The New York Times.Photo: Universal Pictures Additional ReadingAriana Grande Still Has Surprises in StoreThere Have Been Dozens of “Wicked” Interviews. Why Did This One Go Viral? 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.

The writer and YouTube star on trying to get back to the experiences that make us feel alive.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview 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.

Since starting his second term, President Trump has thrown the full weight of the federal government behind the denying the idea of transgender identity, and pushing to prevent trans minors from getting gender-affirming medical care.Two parents of a trans child discuss facing the scramble of supporting their child, and their fears of becoming targets of the government.Guest: The parents of Allie, who is trans.Background reading: Hospitals are limiting gender treatment for trans minors, even in blue states.States have sued over Mr. Trump’s efforts to end pediatric transgender medical care.Trans youth are rattled by efforts to ban gender care. So are hospitals.Photo: Christopher Capozziello for The New York TimesFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

After years of soaring optimism and colossal investment, Wall Street has begun to seriously question whether the frenzy for A.I. is justified.Cade Metz, who covers technology for The New York Times, explains why Silicon Valley companies believe so fervently in A.I. and why they’re willing to take enormous risks to deliver on its promise.Guest: Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: Why debt funding is ratcheting up the risks of the A.I. boom.Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI plan to spend at least $325 billion by the end of the year in pursuit of A.I.Photo: Scott Ball for The New York TimesFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to release all of the files related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a bill that President Trump spent months trying to kill.The Times correspondents Anni Karni and Carl Hulse explain how a rebellion started by a handful of Republican lawmakers became a partywide mutiny, and Representative Thomas Massie talks about his role in bringing about the vote.Guest:Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent at The New York Times.Carl Hulse, the chief Washington correspondent for The Times.Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.Background reading: The vote to approve was a stunning turn for an effort that Republican leaders had worked for months to block.For Mr. Trump, the Epstein scandal is the story that won’t go away.Photo: Tierney L. Cross/The New York TimesFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

For the first time in 30 years, the annual U.N. conference on climate change is taking place without top government representation from the United States. China has emerged as the top dog at the summit and is poised to become the world’s supplier of green energy technology.David Gelles and Brad Plumer explain the growing showdown between global superpowers over the future of energy.Guest:David Gelles, a reporter on the New York Times climate team who leads The Times’s Climate Forward newsletter.Brad Plumer, a New York Times reporter based in Washington, covering technology and policy efforts to address global warming.Background reading: There’s a race to power the future. China is pulling away.At a climate summit without the U.S., allies and rivals call for action.Photo: Gilles Sabrie for The New York TimesFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

When President Trump proposed the introduction of a 50-year mortgage, he challenged a bedrock of the American housing market and financial system. He also revealed how desperate the administration is to lower prices for consumers.Conor Dougherty, who covers housing and development, explains what’s attractive about the idea and its potential drawbacks — and why housing affordability is such an intractable problem.Guest: Conor Dougherty, a reporter for The New York Times covering housing and development for more than a decade.Background reading: The Trump administration is facing backlash from U.S. consumers as higher costs from tariffs blunt wage gains.Many Americans bought their first houses during the pandemic, when mortgage rates dipped to record lows. Now, some feel trapped.Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

There was once a time when documentaries could be found only on public television or in art-house cinemas. But today, documentaries are more popular and accessible than ever, with streaming services serving up true crime, celebrity documentaries, music documentaries and so much more.On today’s Sunday Special, Gilbert is joined by The New York Times’s chief television critic, James Poniewozik, and Alissa Wilkinson, a Times film critic, to talk about the documentaries that are worth your viewing time. On Today’s Episode:James Poniewozik is the chief TV critic for The Times.Alissa Wilkinson is a movie critic at The Times, and writes the Documentary Lens column. Background Reading:What ‘The American Revolution’ Says About Our Cultural Battles‘Come See Me in the Good Light’: The Sweetness After a Terminal Diagnosis  Discussed on this episode:“The American Revolution,” 2025, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt“The Alabama Solution,” 2025, directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” 2015, directed by Andrew Jarecki“Making a Murderer,” 2015, directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos“The Yogurt Shop Murders,” 2025, directed by Margaret Brown“The Perfect Neighbor,” 2025, directed by Beet Gandbhir“The Last Dance,” 2020, directed by Jason Hehir“Copa 71,” 2023, directed by Rachel Ramsay and James Erkine“Cheer,” 2020, created by Greg Whiteley“Last Chance U,” 2016, directed by Greg Whiteley, Adam Ridley and Luke Lorentzen“Pee-wee as Himself,” 2025, directed by Matt Wolf“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” 2024, directed by Benjamin Ree“Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” 2025, directed by Questlove“Cameraperson,” 2016, directed by Kirsten Johnson“An American Family,” 1973, created by Craig Gilbert“Look Into My Eyes,” 2024, directed by Lana Wilson“When We Were Kings,” 1996, directed by Leon Gast Photo: Mike Doyle/American Revolution Film Project and Florentine Films 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.

The longtime editor and chronicler of the elite says she’s liberated and is letting it rip. 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.