'Animal,' Episode 2: Puffins

The governor of Michigan isn’t saying it should be her, but she’s not saying it shouldn’t be, either.

Warning: This episode contains mentions of bullying and suicide.A rising tide of mental health problems among teenagers has sent parents, teachers and doctors searching for answers. This week, the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, offered one: social media.Today, Dr. Murthy discusses his proposal to require platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to include warning labels, like those that appear on tobacco and alcohol products.Guest: Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general.Background reading: Dr. Murthy cannot unilaterally impose warnings on social media; the action requires approval by Congress. Dr. Murthy said he would urge Congress to require a warning that social media use can harm teenagers’ mental health.Read a guest essay by Dr. Murthy: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms.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 battle to dismantle gun restrictions, raging in America’s courts even as mass shootings become commonplace, a Times’ investigation has found that one study has been deployed by gun rights activists to notch legal victories with far-reaching consequences.Mike McIntire, an investigative reporter for The Times, discusses the study and the person behind it.Guest: Mike McIntire, an investigative reporter at The New York Times.Background reading: Case after case challenging gun restrictions cites the same Georgetown professor. His seemingly independent work has undisclosed ties to pro-gun interests.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

As mass shootings plague the United States, victims’ families continue to search for accountability. To that end, a pair of lawsuits by the families of victims of the Uvalde school shooting will try a new tactic.J. David Goodman, the Houston bureau chief for The Times, discusses the unusual targets of the lawsuits and profiles the lawyers behind them.Guest: J. David Goodman, the Houston bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: The Uvalde lawsuits are among the most far-reaching to be filed in response to the escalating number of mass shootings in the United States.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination of Protestant Christians in the United States, voted at an annual gathering last week to oppose the use of in vitro fertilization.Ruth Graham, who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times, discusses the story behind the vote, the Republican scramble it prompted and what it could eventually mean for the rest of the country.Guest: Ruth Graham, who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times.Background reading: How baptists and the Republican Party took different paths on I.V.F.Here’s what to know about the vote.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

In a broken world, what can we gain by looking another animal in the eye? "Animal" is a six-part, round-the-world journey in search of an answer. In Episode 3, the writer Sam Anderson travels to Florida to fulfill a lifelong dream: to swim with manatees.For photos and videos of Sam's adventure with manatees, visit nytimes.com/animal.

The greatest women’s tennis player of all time is trying to find her new normal in retirement.

Many Americans work their entire lives and end up retiring with nothing. But a group of frugal obsessives is challenging that.They call their approach FIRE: “financial independence, retire early.”Amy X. Wang, the assistant managing editor of The New York Times Magazine, looks at the people behind this growing movement and their bid to rethink how long we work.Guest: Amy X. Wang, the assistant managing editor of The New York Times Magazine. Background reading: Allen Wong is one of the FIRE adherents who always knew how he wanted to live life. After decades of tolerating workaholic culture as the norm, employees are tired and unafraid to show it.FIRE started in the early 2000s with a mantra of extreme saving, but the pandemic forged new followers.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

The makeup of the 2024 presidential race has felt inevitable from the start — with one notable exception: Donald J. Trump’s choice of a running mate.Michael Bender, a political correspondent for The Times, explains why Mr. Trump’s requirements in a No. 2 are very different this time round than they were eight years ago.Guest: Michael Bender, a political correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: Here is a comprehensive look at who is in the mix to be Mr. Trump’s running mate.Ben Carson is a wild card in the vice-presidential sweepstakes, but don’t count him out just yet.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

A jury on Tuesday found Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, guilty of three felonies related to the purchase of a gun at one of the low points of his troubled life.Katie Rogers, a White House correspondent for The Times, explains what the verdict could mean for the 2024 presidential race.Guest: Katie Rogers, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Biden was found guilty on charges related to a gun purchase in 2018.Here are some takeaways from the conviction.The president has grown more resigned and afraid about his son’s future, according to people close to the Bidens.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.