The Daily Folgen

The Supreme Court ruled last month that federal courts cannot rule on cases of partisan gerrymandering, saying that judges are not entitled to second-guess the decisions made by state legislators who draw voting maps. We spoke to one man who has long believed there’s a way to address the issue without the courts. Guest: Eric H. Holder Jr., who served as the United States attorney general for six years under President Barack Obama. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: The Supreme Court’s decision on gerrymandering instantly raised the stakes for the nation’s state legislative races, which are often overlooked by voters, but can shape the course of policy from abortion rights to education.What is gerrymandering, and why did the Supreme Court rule on it? Here’s a refresher. 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maxwell’s yearslong relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has raised questions about what she may have known about the allegations of sex trafficking against him. Now, thousands of pages of sealed documents stemming from their relationship are about to be made public. Guest: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.Background reading:With Mr. Epstein under federal indictment on charges of sexually trafficking and abusing young girls, there are growing questions about his relationship with Ms. Maxwell. For more than a decade she helped manage Mr. Epstein’s homes, facilitate his social relationships and recruit masseuses, according to his former employees. 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The former special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, testified on Wednesday before Congress. He declared that his two-year investigation did not exonerate President Trump and that Russia would meddle again in American elections. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Lawmakers hunted for viral sound bites and tried to score political points, but Mr. Mueller consistently refused to accommodate them in his long-awaited appearance before Congress.Here are seven takeaways from the hearings. 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.