Sunday Special: ’Tis the Season for Cookies

The actress and director says the world of filmmaking needs a “full system break.”

Warning: This episode contains strong language and mentions of suicide. Over the past year, the federal government has taken a series of actions widely seen as attacks on the First Amendment. Greg Lukianoff, the head of a legal defense group called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, speaks to Natalie Kitroeff about what free speech really means and why both the left and the right end up betraying it.

President Trump on Tuesday delivered blatantly xenophobic public remarks, which included attacking Somali immigrants in Minnesota and calling them “garbage.” Ernesto Londoño, a reporter based in Minnesota, explains how Somalis became the president’s latest target in his effort to reshape America’s relationship to its immigrant communities.

Over the past three months, the U.S. military has been firing on boats from South America, killing more than 80 people and prompting Democrats to raise urgent questions about their legality. Now, one of these operations, which killed survivors with a second missile, has prompted congressional Republicans to join those calls for accountability. Charlie Savage, who covers national security for The New York Times, explains the renewed debate and how the administration is justifying its actions.

Lead is an essential but toxic element of car batteries. The U.S. auto industry promotes the recycling of it as an environmental success story. An investigation by The New York Times and The Examination reveals that the initiative comes at a major human cost, especially abroad. Peter S. Goodman, who covers the global economy, explains the dirty business of a supposedly clean technology.