For former President Donald J. Trump, 2024 was supposed to be dominated by criminal trials. Instead, he’s found ways to delay almost all of them. Alan Feuer, who covers the criminal cases against Mr. Trump for The Times, explains how he did it. Guest: Alan Feuer, who covers extremism and political violence for The New York Times. Background reading:  On Wednesday, Donald J. Trump lost his third try in a week to delay his upcoming Manhattan trial. But stalling has worked for Mr. Trump in the past. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each ep ..read more

By the time his first term was over, Donald J. Trump had cemented his place as the most anti-abortion president in U.S. history. Now, facing political blowback, he’s trying to change that reputation. Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The Times, discusses whether Mr. Trump’s election-year pivot can work. Guest: Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  After months of mixed signals, former President Donald J. Trump said abortion restrictions should be left to the states. On abortion, Mr. Trump chose politics over principle ..read more

When Elon Musk set up Tesla’s factory in China, he made a bet that brought him cheap parts and capable workers — a bet that made him ultrarich and saved his company. Mara Hvistendahl, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains why, now, that lifeline may have given China the tools to beat Tesla at its own game.  Guest: Mara Hvistendahl, an investigative reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  A pivot to China saved Elon Musk. It also bound him to Beijing. Mr. Musk helped create the Chinese electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there as well ..read more

Today, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to see a rare total solar eclipse. Fred Espenak, a retired astrophysicist known as Mr. Eclipse, was so blown away by an eclipse he saw as a teenager that he dedicated his life to traveling the world and seeing as many as he could. Mr. Espenak discusses the eclipses that have punctuated and defined the most important moments in his life, and explains why these celestial phenomena are such a wonder to experience. Guest: Fred Espenak, a.k.a. “Mr. Eclipse,” a former NASA astrophysicist and lifelong eclipse chaser. Background reading:  A ..read more

Chris Kerr was 12 when he first observed a deathbed vision. His memory of that summer in 1974 is blurred, but not the sense of mystery he felt at the bedside of his dying father. Throughout Kerr’s childhood in Toronto, his father, a surgeon, was too busy to spend much time with his son, except for an annual fishing trip they took, just the two of them, to the Canadian wilderness. Gaunt and weakened by cancer at 42, his father reached for the buttons on Kerr’s shirt, fiddled with them and said something about getting ready to catch the plane to their cabin in the woods. “I knew intuitively, I k ..read more

Decades of efforts to cut carbon emissions have failed to significantly slow the rate of global warming, so scientists are now turning to bolder approaches. Christopher Flavelle, who writes about climate change for The Times, discusses efforts to engineer our way out of the climate crisis. Guest: Christopher Flavelle, who covers how the United States tries to adapt to the effects of climate change for The New York Times. Background reading:  Warming is getting worse. So they just tested a way to deflect the sun. Can we engineer our way out of the climate crisis? For more information on ..read more

The Israeli airstrike that killed seven workers delivering food in Gaza has touched off global outrage and condemnation. Kim Severson, who covers food culture for The Times, discusses the World Central Kitchen, the aid group at the center of the story; and Adam Rasgon, who reports from Israel, explains what we know about the tragedy so far. Guest: Kim Severson, a food correspondent for The New York Times. Adam Rasgon, an Israel correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  The relief convoy was hit just after workers had delivered tons of food. José Andrés, the Spanish chef ..read more

In his campaign for re-election, President Biden has said that raising taxes on the wealthy and on big corporations is at the heart of his agenda. But under his watch, overall net taxes have decreased. Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy for The Times, explains. Guest: Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy at the White House for The New York Times. Background reading:  An analysis prepared for The New York Times estimates that the tax changes President Biden has ushered into law will amount to a net cut of about $600 billion over four years. “Does anybody here think the tax c ..read more

Long after schools have fully reopened after the pandemic, one concerning metric suggests that children and their parents have changed the way they think about being in class. Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter for The Times, discusses the apparent shift to a culture in which school feels optional. Guest: Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  ​School absences have “exploded” across the United States. Data shows that the more time students spent in remote instruction during the pandemic, the further they fell behind. For more information on t ..read more

Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC was short. The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars. Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The Times, discusses the saga and what it might reveal about the state of television news heading into the 2024 presidential race. Guest: Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times. Background reading:  Ms. McDaniel’s appointment had been immediately criticized by reporters at the network and by viewers on social media. T ..read more