The Sunday Read: ‘A Republican Election Clerk vs. Trump Die-Hards in a World of Lies’
14 July 2024 - 29 minsCindy Elgan glanced into the lobby of her office and saw a sheriff’s deputy waiting at the front counter. “Let’s start a video recording, just in case this goes sideways,” Elgan, 65, told one of her employees in the Esmeralda County clerk’s office. She had come to expect skepticism, conspiracy theories and even threats related to her job as an election administrator. She grabbed her annotated booklet of Nevada state laws, said a prayer for patience and walked into the lobby to confront the latest challenge to America’s electoral process.
The deputy was standing alongside a woman that Elgan recognized as Mary Jane Zakas, 77, a longtime elementary schoolteacher and a leader in the local Repub...
The Workers Letting A.I. Do Their Jobs
In an era of agents powered by artificial intelligence, many programmers are barely programming.
36 mins
14 April Finished
Why U.S.-Iran Negotiations Failed
After 21 hours of talks, Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran had not reached a deal to end the war.
31 mins
13 April Finished
One Reporter’s Life-Altering Psychedelic Trip
The first time Robert Draper heard about the psychedelic drug ibogaine, it was from an unlikely source: the retired U.S. senator Kyrsten Sinema. As a political reporter for The New York Times, Draper often talks to figures like Ms. Sinema. But on this occasion, he said, she wanted to tell him about how she had tried ibogaine, which is illegal in the United States. She’d become such a believer in the drug that she was pushing her home state of Arizona to fund clinical trials for veterans with combat-related trauma. Draper found that Ms. Sinema wasn’t the only politician to take up the cause. Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, Republican presidential candidate and Trump energy secretary, has also advocated for research into ibogaine in recent years and taken the drug himself. In 2025, because of Mr. Perry’s efforts, Texas became the first state to dedicate public funds to ibogaine research with veterans. Recent studies of ibogaine at Stanford University and elsewhere suggest that it might prove effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, addiction and a range of other conditions. As Draper reported on ibogaine’s transformative effects on others, he wondered: Could it help him, too? Today, on “The Sunday Daily,” Natalie Kitroeff talks to Robert Draper about what drew him to travel to Mexico to try ibogaine, and how his trip changed his life.
41 mins
12 April Finished
'The Interview': Lena Dunham Is Still Trying to Figure Out Why People Hated Her So Much
The writer, actor and lightning rod is not done sharing yet.
1 hour 3 mins
11 April Finished
The Miracle Unfolding in Mississippi Schools
Since 2013, performance on national tests in Mississippi has skyrocketed, while scores in blue states have lagged. What is it doing right?
31 mins
10 April Finished
Unmasking the Creator of Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s inventor has hidden behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto for 17 years. A New York Times investigation may have found him.
53 mins
9 April Finished