China's Influence in NY Elections, Ghislaine Maxwell's Interview, Spotify Habits Leaked by Prankster

Today’s top news stories, all in about 10 minutes. Listen every weekday morning, with insight and analysis from New York Times reporters all over the world.

For more on this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/podcasts/the-headlines/china-ny-elections-ghislaine-maxwell.html

What we’re covering:

In Washington Crackdown, Making a Federal Case Out of Low-Level Arrests (http://nytimes.com/2025/08/24/us/politics/trump-dc-crime-takeover-federal-court.html) , by Devlin Barrett

Democrats Criticize Trump’s Push for National Guard in More Cities (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/us/politics/trump-national-guard-chicago-crime.html) , by Alyce McFadden and Tim Balk

5 Takeaways From Ghislaine Maxwell’s Interview About Jeffrey Epstein (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/us/politics/ghislaine-maxwell-transcript-takeaways.html) , by Chris Cameron, Glenn Thrush, Alan Feuer, Sharon LaFraniere and Maggie Haberman

Russia’s Top Diplomat Says There Is No Plan for Putin-Zelensky Meeting (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/us/politics/lavrov-seems-to-erase-the-notion-that-a-putin-zelensky-meeting-is-in-the-works.html) , by Tyler Pager and Ashley Ahn

Florida Paints Over Rainbow Memorial for Victims of Pulse Nightclub Shooting (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/us/politics/orlando-pulse-shooting-rainbow-crosswalk-memorial.html) , by Aishvarya Kavi

How China Influences Elections in America’s Biggest City (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/nyregion/china-consulate-new-york-elections.html) , by Michael Forsythe, Jay Root, Bianca Pallaro and David A. Fahrenthold

We Are Tech Privacy Reporters. Our Music Habits Got Doxxed (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/technology/spotify-panama-playlists-privacy.html) , by Mike Isaac and Kashmir Hill

Tell us what you think at: theheadlines@nytimes.com.