The Sunday Read: ‘What Does the U.S. Space Force Actually Do?’

The United States says its goal in Syria is to help its allies defeat the Islamic State, not to fight the government. But it’s getting harder stay out of the civil war. Guests: Helene Cooper, the Pentagon correspondent for The New York Times; Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2tdgVBP. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

29 Jun 201720min

The Senate vote on the health care bill is off — for now. We focus on Maine, where Senator Susan Collins has been a vocal opponent of the proposal. And what happens to family members who witness police shootings? Guests: Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress; Lee Umphrey, the chief executive of a health center in Maine; Yamiche Alcindor, who covered the shooting of Philando Castile. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uo8uVi. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

28 Jun 201719min

On the last day of its term, the Supreme Court said it would take the case about the legality of President Trump’s travel ban. We discuss the path of the travel ban through the lower courts, the key role of two justices in determining the outcome and what this means for refugees. Guests: Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court; Nicholas Kulish, who covers immigration. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2tMr8XN. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

27 Jun 201717min

President Trump’s promise to repeal Obamacare could come down to one issue: abortion. And how the families of people killed by undocumented immigrants have become an emotional cornerstone of another signature issue for the Trump administration. Guests: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a White House correspondent for The Times; Vivian Yee, who covers immigration for The Times; and Steve Ronnebeck, whose 21-year-old son, Grant, was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2u80Xxf. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

26 Jun 201719min

The secret is out. The Senate has unveiled its health care bill. And after all the waiting, what was promised to be a drastic revamp of the House bill looks a lot like the House bill. Plus: The second in our two-part series on the opioid crisis. Guests: Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress; Nathaniel Popper, a reporter for The Times; Joe Pinjuh, chief of the organized crime task force in the United States attorney’s office in Cleveland; and Josh Lytle, a recovering fentanyl addict who works in East Liverpool, Ohio. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2vbkHgj. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

23 Jun 201723min

We replay the dramatic hours at a hotel room in Chicago leading up to Travis Kalanick’s resignation as the chief executive of Uber. Plus: Part I of a two-part series on the opioid crisis ravaging American cities, which has escalated to a whole new level with the spread of a drug 50 times more powerful than heroin. Guests: Mike Isaac, who has been writing about Mr. Kalanick for the last three years; and Nathaniel Popper, who covers finance and technology for The Times. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2sFqeM1. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

22 Jun 201718min

Former prisoners subjected to “enhanced interrogation” techniques developed after Sept. 11 have filed a lawsuit — not against the C.I.A., which is protected, but against two psychologists. We discuss what has been revealed by the depositions. Guest: Sheri Fink, who has written about the lawsuit. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2sYeas8. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

21 Jun 201722min

The battle for Mosul is entering its final and most challenging phase, with Iraqi forces there engaged in the most intensive urban warfare since World War II. The Times embeds with one Iraqi unit. Guests: Ben C. Solomon, a video journalist who has been following Iraqi fighters in Mosul; Adam Liptak, who discusses the Supreme Court’s decision to consider whether partisan gerrymandering violates the Constitution. Caitlin Dickerson is our host; Michael Barbaro is on vacation. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2twhjwL. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

20 Jun 201721min