Extreme Water Shortages in the West, and Hegseth’s Pentagon Purge
About this episode
<p>Plus, the rocky, unpredictable race for California governor. </p> <p>Here’s what we’re covering:</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/us/snow-pack-summer-drought.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Terrible Winter for Snow Heads Into a Bleak Summer of Drought</a>, by Jack Healy, Reis Thebault and Scott Dance</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/politics/trump-drop-weaponization-fund.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump Backs Off Plan for $1.8 Billion Fund That Drew Political Backlash</a>, by Tyler Pager, Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer, Devlin Barrett and Annie Karni</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/politics/hegseth-navy-promotion-list.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hegseth Strikes Female and Black Navy Officers From Promotion List</a>, by Greg Jaffe and Kate Kelly</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/02/world/iran-war-trump-israel-lebanon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israel Appears to Pull Back From Threat to Strike Beirut</a>, by The New York Times</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/elections/california-primary-what-to-watch.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">California Votes on Newsom’s Successor After Turbulent Primary Campaign</a>, by Laurel Rosenhall and Shane Goldmacher</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/world/europe/wine-truffles-firefighting-climate-change.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How Wine, Truffles and Honey Could Help Europe Fight Wildfires</a>, by Jeanna Smialek</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><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>
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