Did the Texas Floods Have to Be This Deadly?
The Daily
07/15/25
•29m
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A little over a week after the devastating floods in Central Texas, the death toll has reached more than 130 people — and the search for the missing continues.
In the aftermath of the disaster, there have been mounting questions about how local officials handled the critical hours before and after the storm. Today, we look at the missed opportunities that may have contributed to the growing tragedy — and whether anything more could have been done to save lives.
Guest: Christopher Flavelle, a Times reporter covering how President Trump is transforming the local government..
Background reading:
- Kerr County, where most of the deaths occurred, failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.
- Years before the floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved the removal of many Camp Mystic buildings from flood zones, records show.
- Eight-year-olds at camp, families in their R.V.s: These were some of the lives lost to the Texas floods.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Carter Johnston for The New York Times
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Previous Episode
One Rural Doctor on the Cuts to Medicaid
July 14, 2025
•31m
When Republicans passed their big domestic policy bill just over a week ago, they kept making the same argument about sweeping changes to Medicaid: that the measures, including new work requirements, would encourage able-bodied adults to earn their health care, ultimately creating a fairer system for everyone. Critics said the opposite: they have predicted that millions of working people who need health care will lose it.
The truth will emerge in rural and often Republican-voting areas where cuts to Medicaid funding will be felt most deeply. Natalie Kitroeff spoke to a family doctor in one of those places, western North Carolina, about what she thinks will happen to her patients.
Guest: Shannon Dowler, a family physician and health advocate in western North Carolina.
Background reading:
- In North Carolina, President Trump’s domestic policy law jeopardizes plans to reopen one rural county’s hospital — and health coverage for hundreds of thousands of state residents.
- The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that the Senate’s version of Trump’s bill would mean that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Next Episode
Project 2025’s Other Project
July 16, 2025
•29m
During a congressional hearing yesterday, Republican lawmakers accused university leaders of failing to do enough to combat antisemitism on their campuses. That’s a claim that the university officials strongly rejected.
The hearing was the latest attempt by Republicans to use what they see as the growing threat against Jews to their political advantage. And it reflects a plan that was first laid out by the Heritage Foundation, the same conservative think tank that produced Project 2025.
That plan, known as Project Esther, may have once seemed far-fetched. Katie J.M. Baker explains how it has become a reality.
Guest: Katie J.M. Baker, a national investigative correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Even before President Trump was re-elected, the Heritage Foundation, best known for Project 2025, set out to destroy pro-Palestinian activism in the United States.
- University leaders rejected Republican attacks, saying they were working to protect Jewish students but also free speech on their campuses.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Jared Soares for The New York Times
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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