The Daily Folgen

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have called the federal bureaucracy an “existential threat to our republic.” Now, President-elect Donald J. Trump is empowering them to drastically shrink it, by whatever means necessary.David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, discusses their plans — and what it would look like if they were actually carried out.Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: The so-called Department of Government Efficiency has advantages that past budget cutters did not, but laws and court challenges could still make change slow and difficult.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 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 Biden went back on his word by pardoning his son Hunter Biden. His stated rationale for granting the pardon will inevitably muddy the political waters as President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to take office with plans to use the Justice Department and the F.B.I. to pursue “retribution” against his political adversaries.Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent, discusses where Mr. Biden’s decision leaves the U.S. justice system.Guest: Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump now agree on one thing: The Biden Justice Department has been politicized.Mr. Biden is facing criticism for absolving his son after insisting he would not.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 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.

Weeks before taking office, President-elect Donald J. Trump is doubling down on tariffs. Even if the threat to impose them proves to be just a negotiating tactic or bluster, it is also a gambit that has immediate consequences.Ana Swanson, who covers trade for The Times, discusses whether tariffs worked in Mr. Trump’s first term and how they compare with the alternative approach used by President Biden.Background reading: Mr. Trump’s threat to wield tariffs is already rocking business and diplomatic relationships.The president-elect picked Jamieson Greer, a lawyer and former Trump official, to serve as top trade negotiator, a position that will be crucial to Mr. Trump’s plans of rewriting the rules of trade in America’s favor.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.