The Daily

After 11 days of fighting over the skies of Israel and Gaza, a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel was announced last week. The conflict wrought devastation in Gaza. Yet Hamas’s leaders took to television and declared victory. We look at where the organization comes from and their objectives to understand why it has, for decades, engaged in battles it knows it can’t win. Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times.

When Brandi Levy was 14, she posted an expletive-filled video to Snapchat, expressing her dismay at not making the varsity cheerleading squad. It got her suspended from cheerleading entirely for a year. Can a public school deal with off-campus speech in this way without infringing the First Amendment? The Supreme Court will decide. Guest: Adam Liptak, a reporter covering the United States Supreme Court for The New York Times.

It had long appeared that the National Rifle Association was impervious to anything or anyone. Now, an investigation into financial misconduct accusations led by the New York attorney general’s office imperils the very existence of America’s most powerful gun rights group. We look at how a plan to circumvent this investigation through a bankruptcy filing backfired. Guest: Danny Hakim, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

In the summer of 1856, workers quarrying limestone in a valley outside Düsseldorf, Germany, found an odd looking skull. It was elongated and almost chinless. William King, a British geologist, suspected that this was not merely the remains of an atypical human, but belonged to a typical member of an alternate humanity. He named the species Homo neanderthalensis: Neanderthal man. Guided by racism and phrenology, he deemed the species brutish, with a “moral ‘darkness.’” It was a label that stuck...

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This episode contains strong language and scenes of war that some may find distressing. In 2010, James Dao, then a military affairs reporter for The New York Times, began following a battalion of U.S. soldiers headed for Afghanistan. Two soldiers caught his attention: Adrian Bonenberger, a single, 32-year-old captain, and Tamara Sullivan, a 30-year-old sergeant and mother of two...

It has been more than a week since the latest escalation between Israel and Hamas, and President Biden has been taking a cautious approach. The president has stressed Israel’s right to defend itself, but he seems reluctant to place too much pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Mr. Biden has known Mr. Netanyahu for decades. Is that a help or a hindrance? Guest: Michael Crowley, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times.

“You never get used to the sound of bombings,” Rahf Hallaq tells us on today’s episode. Ms. Hallaq, an English language and literature student, lives in the northwestern area of Gaza City, where she shares a home with her parents and five siblings. She turns 22 next month. We talk with Ms. Hallaq about her life, her dreams and what the last nine days have been like in Gaza. Guest: Rahf Hallaq, a 21 year-old English student and resident of Gaza City.

Why is the economic recovery from the pandemic so uneven? Why are companies finding it hard to hire? And why are the prices of used cars surging? Recent economic reports have commentators scratching their heads. We dig into the theories behind this strange moment for the American economy. Guest: Ben Casselman, an economics and business reporter for The New York Times.

In the months since a pro-Trump mob breached the walls of the Capitol building, some 420 people have been arrested and charged in connection with the attack. And that number is expected to rise. As federal prosecutors prepare for a unique challenge, we look at the twists and turns of bringing those who were in the building to justice. Guest: Alan Feuer, a reporter covering courts and criminal justice for The New York Times.