How Russia Is Brutalizing Its Own Soldiers, and More Than 5 Million Pages of Epstein Files

About this episode

<p>Plus, the viral video that got the White House’s attention. </p><p>Here’s what we’re covering:</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/31/world/europe/russia-military-abuse-soldiers.html" target="_blank">How Russia’s War Machine Brutalizes and Exploits Its Own Soldiers</a> by Paul Sonne, Anton Troianovski, Milana Mazaeva, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Alina Lobzina</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/us/politics/esptein-files-5-million-pages.html" target="_blank">Justice Dept. Now Said to Be Reviewing 5.2 Million Pages of Epstein Files</a> by Devlin Barrett</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/us/politics/hhs-minnesota-funds-day-care-fraud.html" target="_blank">Health Dept. Pauses Child Care Funding to Minnesota, Citing State’s Fraud Scandal</a> by Tim Balk and Ernesto Londoño</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/world/middleeast/gaza-aid-group-suspensions-israel.html" target="_blank">Gaza Aid Groups Face Suspensions Under New Israeli Rules</a> by Ephrat Livni</p><p>Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: <a href="mailto:theheadlines@nytimes.com">theheadlines@nytimes.com</a>.</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>