Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

Murderbot showrunners Chris and Paul Weitz join to discuss their sci-fi series’ blend of chamber thriller, workplace satire, and reluctant hero tale—all orbiting a security unit who just wants to be left alone to binge his stories. They talk robot servitude, world-building exhaustion (“every chair must be a space chair”), and how Alexander Skarsgård’s performance brings Scandinavian placidity to a roiling interior monologue. Also: the GOP goes ball(point)istic over Biden’s legal use of an autopen.

Produced by Corey Wara

Production Coordinator Ashley Khan

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On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

President Donald Trump kicked off the countdown to the anniversary at a rally in Iowa – right as Congress passed his sweeping domestic policy bill.

But how has this country's identity changed in 250 years? And what innovations – in science, technology, and democracy – have led us to this moment?

In this installment of If You Can Keep It, we discuss what can we learn about the future of American innovation and democracy through its past.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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Around the world many nations are facing a full-blown depopulation crisis. In the U.S. birth rates have steadily declined and the U.S. fertility rate is now well below replacement level. Some parts of the country are already experiencing population loss, aging demographics, and labor shortages. What needs to happen to change the population decline before it’s too late?array(3) { [0]=> string(20) "https://www.tpr.org/" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }

• Tim's interview with Julie K. Brown last year
• Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' conversation with Julie Brown

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.

What is happening to the American bedrock idea of the rule of law under a president who isn’t confined by the law? PBS’s FRONTLINE takes a look at President Trump’s second term and goes inside the high-stakes showdown between Trump and the courts over presidential power. How is Trump testing the extent of his power—and can the limits hold?array(3) { [0]=> string(20) "https://www.tpr.org/" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }