Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota report threats and vandalism after a viral right-wing video accusing them of fraud prompts federal action with nationwide consequences. The Justice Department misses its deadline to release the Epstein files, fueling confusion and conspiracy theories as heavily redacted and unreliable documents trickle out. And Switzerland begins days of mourning after a deadly New Year’s Eve fire rips through a crowded nightclub at a ski resort, killing dozens and injuring many more.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Luis Clemens, Dana Farrington, Miguel Macias, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Kaity Kline and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is David Greenburg..
As the U.S. government reverses course on renewable energy projects and other policies related to climate change, environmental solutions may seem out of reach. But they’re happening all over the country.
Cara Buckley and Catrin Einhorn, who cover climate for The New York Times, discuss their project to document small but significant efforts to solve climate and environmental problems in every U.S. state.
Guest:
Cara Buckley, a reporter at The New York Times who writes about people working toward climate solutions.
Catrin Einhorn, a reporter covering biodiversity, climate and the environment for The New York Times.
Background reading:
The Times set out to document one climate success story in each state. Here’s a full list.
I like to start the year with a few episodes on things I’m personally working on. Not resolutions, exactly. More like intentions. Or, even better, practices.
One of those practices, strange as it sounds, is repeatedly asking the question: “What is this?” It’s a question I got from a book of the same name, by Stephen and Martine Batchelor. In that book, they are describing an approach toBuddhist meditation built on the cultivation of doubt and wonder. You can see that as a spiritual practice, but it’s also an intellectual and ethical one. It is, for me, a practice that has a lot of bearing on politics and journalism.
Stephen Batchelor’s latest book, “Buddha, Socrates, and Us: Ethical Living in Uncertain Times,” explores those dimensions of doubt more fully. And so I wanted to have him on the show to discuss the virtues of both certainty and uncertainty, the difficulty of living both ethically and openly. You can see this as a conversation about our inner lives or our outer lives, but of course they are one. And Batchelor, as you’ll hear, is just lovely to listen to.
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
We revisit our listeners’ favourite topics and dig deeper in this special programme.
First, we hear from some of our insomniac listeners and explore how we fall asleep with neuroscientist Dr Ada Eban-Rothschild from the University of Michigan.
Next, we return to our favourite food facts with a small surprise for one of the presenters.
Then, we put our knowledge to the test with extra quizzes and examine the randomness of multiple-choice questions.
Finally, we’re joined by Dr Alyn Euritt to discuss the importance of connection, especially between Marnie, Caroline and all the loyal listeners of the show.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenters: Caroline Steel and Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Imaan Moin, with Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Lucy Davies
Since it's been a while since we last did a GG crossover, I wanted to share the new trial we are doing over there!
It's a new Gavel Gavel trial! We are excited to announce that we will be producing a totally new full trial re-enactment working from our EXCLUSIVE access to the transcript of the federal prosecution of Sean Dunn, better known to the world as the “Sandwich Guy” after being federally charged for assaulting a CBP officer with a fully-loaded 12-inch Subway sandwich on the streets of DC. But before we get to the meat of 2025’s Trial of the Century, legal sandwich artist Matt Cameron is here to slice up everything you need to know. From Dunn’s notably underreported motive to the significance of the date and location of the alleged assault to a shot-by-shot analysis of the only known video of the incident, we’ve got this one wrapped.
In this episode, Edward Feser joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “The Common Sense of John Searle,” from the December 2025 issue of the magazine.
In 2016, veteran Democratic advisor Philippe Reines stepped up for an unconventional task: impersonating Donald Trump for Hillary Clinton's debate prep. And in 2024, he did it all again for Kamala Harris. Jon Lovett and Reines discuss the intricacies of playing Trump, the impact of debate performance on elections, and what Democrats should do to outwit the president going forward. Reines reveals what really happened the night Biden called Harris moments before her debate, Trump's biggest debate weaknesses, and what it was like working with Lovett as a Clinton staffer back in 2005.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
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From our digital safety to space and neurotechnology, it seems major shifts in technology are happening faster than ever. We hear from WSJ personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen, and WSJ tech columnist and co-host of the Bold Names podcast Christopher Mims, about some of the tech that will change our lives in 2026. Belle Lin hosts.
