The Lonely Work of a Free-Speech Defender
The Daily
12/05/25
•52m
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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.
Guest: Greg Lukianoff, the president and chief executive of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Background reading:
- Read Mr. Lukianoff’s guest essay for New York Times Opinion from September.
Photo: Moriah Ratner for 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.
Previous Episode
Trump Rants: ‘Let Them Go Back to Where They Came From’
December 4, 2025
•29m
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.
Guest: Ernesto Londoño, a reporter for The New York Times based in Minnesota.
Background reading:
- Mr. Trump called Somalis “garbage” that he doesn’t want in the country.
- A new ICE operation is said to target Somali migrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.
- Here’s how fraud swamped Minnesota’s social services system on Gov. Tim Walz’s watch.
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
'The Interview': Kristen Stewart Wants to Show Us a Different Kind of Sex
December 6, 2025
•48m
The actress and director says the world of filmmaking needs a “full system break.”
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- For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview
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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