The Daily Folgen

Between the government shutdowns that bookended the year, there were furious standoffs over a border wall; shootings at a high school, a bar, a grocery store, a synagogue; devastating wildfires in California. Handshakes and promises shared with autocrats in North Korea and Russia. Powerful men brought down by #MeToo or trying to make a comeback, and a Supreme Court nominee accused, then elevated to the bench. Questions about a murdered journalist, about election interference, about how much Facebook knew. A midterm vote that delivered one of the most diverse — and divided — governments in American history. Here’s what 2018 sounded like. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

President Trump seemed poised to avoid a government shutdown and to carry his fight for a border wall into 2019, when the House will be controlled by Democrats. Then he shot down the spending deal. So what happened? Also, to cap off a chaotic day of breaking news, Jim Mattis resigned as secretary of defense. Guest: Jonathan Weisman, the deputy Washington editor of The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

If any Democratic senator representing a red state was going to survive the midterm elections and continue serving in 2019, it was thought to be Claire McCaskill. But she lost. We spoke with her as her time in office was winding down. Guests: Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, and Sabrina Tavernise, a national correspondent for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.This episode includes disturbing language. 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.