Social Media on Trial
The Daily
01/29/26
•21m
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For years, social media companies have relied on an impenetrable first amendment protection to shield them from legal claims that their products are dangerous to children.
But now, a cluster of plaintiffs are trying a different tact.
Cecilia Kang, who covers technology, explains why these new lawsuits pose an existential threat to social media giants, and how those companies are likely to defend themselves.
Guest: Cecilia Kang, a reporter covering technology and regulatory policy for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Here’s what to know about the social media addiction trials.
- TikTok reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit, avoiding the first in a series of landmark trials.
Photo: David Gray/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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.
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Previous Episode
Trump Changes Course in Minneapolis
January 28
•26m
The intense fallout from Alex Pretti’s death has forced President Trump to publicly change course in Minneapolis.The White House reporters Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Tyler Pager discuss the changes, and whether they are real or merely symbolic.
Guest:
- Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
- Tyler Pager, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
Background reading:
- Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol official leading an aggressive immigration crackdown, was pulled from Minneapolis as the White House tries to distance the president from the uproar over Mr. Pretti’s killing.
- Here’s how the Trump administration rushed to judgment in the shooting of Mr. Pretti.
- Republicans in Congress are shifting their tone after the killings in Minneapolis, criticizing Mr. Trump’s immigration push.
Photo: David Guttenfelder/The New York Times.
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.
Next Episode
Trump 2.0: The President’s Affordability Problem
January 30
•32m
President Trump was elected in 2024 on the promise that he would fix the economy. Now, a new poll from The New York Times/Siena reveals that the issue may be driving voters away.
Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst at The Times, explains what the poll tells us.
Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Voters see a middle-class lifestyle as drifting out of reach, the poll found.
- Here’s what Americans really mean by “affordability.”
- Who are the voters who have taken a U-turn on Mr. Trump?
Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times
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.
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