Silicon Valley’s Big Bets on War Pay Off, and the Trump Family Business Looks to Transylvania

About this episode

<p>Plus, a buzzy new book was just canceled over A.I. allegations.</p> <p>Here’s what we’re covering:</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/world/middleeast/trump-oil-iran-war-mideast-japan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">White House Looks for Ways to Soothe American Jitters Over Surging Prices</a>, by Tony Romm, David E. Sanger and Michael Levenson</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/world/middleeast/pentagon-200-billion-iran-war-funding-hegseth.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260319&instance_id=172757&nl=breaking-news&regi_id=306413263&segment_id=216922&user_id=1cd699f6e5698983afd2a8a4030b003b" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pentagon Seeks $200 Billion to Fund Iran War</a>, by Helene Cooper, Tony Romm, Karoun Demirjian and Megan Mineiro</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/technology/silicon-valley-war-defense-tech.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Silicon Valley Bet on War. The Bets Are Paying Off.</a>, By Sheera Frenkel</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/world/europe/trump-romania-tranysyvania-apartments-golf-course.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trumps, on a Deal-Making Spree, Turn Next to Transylvania</a>, by Rebecca R. Ruiz and Andrei Petre</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/business/middle-class-sell-their-plasma.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Middle-Class Suburbanites Who Sell Their Blood Plasma to Get By</a>, by Kurtis Lee and Robert Gebeloff</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/books/shy-girl-book-ai.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use</a>, by Alexandra Alter</p> <p>Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: <a href="mailto:theheadlines@nytimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">theheadlines@nytimes.com</a>.</p> <p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p> <p> </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>