
More Money Was Supposed to Help Poor Kids. So Why Didn’t It?
The Daily
08/06/25
•24m
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For many, the logic seemed unassailable: Giving poor families money would measurably improve the lives of their children. And so a few years ago, social scientists set out to test whether that assumption was right.
The results of the experiment have shocked them.
Guest: Jason DeParle, a Times reporter who covers poverty in the United States.
Background reading:
- A rigorous experiment appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Andrew Seng 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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The Most Closely Watched Trump Firing in Washington
August 5, 2025
•29m
For many Americans, the government’s monthly jobs number was a pretty dull statistic — until a few days ago, when President Trump angrily fired the person responsible for producing it, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Now, from Washington to Wall Street, many people are wondering whether you can still trust federal statistics if the president is willing to just get rid of people who give him facts he doesn’t like.
On this episode, Ben Casselman joins The Daily to discuss how the government’s economic data suddenly turned into a national drama.
Guest: Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- President Trump fired America’s economic data collector. History shows the perils of such a move.
- Until the president fired her, Erika McEntarfer was an economist with bipartisan support.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Haiyun Jiang/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

Trump Said Family Separations Would End. They’re Happening Again.
August 7, 2025
•28m
During President Trump’s first term, the intentional separation of migrant child from their parents shocked the country and persuaded Mr. Trump to say he would end the practice for good.
Hamed Aleaziz, who covers immigration policy for The Times, has found that in Mr. Trump’s second term, the practice has returned.
Guest: Hamed Aleaziz, who covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy in the United States for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Inside President Trump’s new tactic to separate immigrant families.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Victor J. Blue 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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