logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
24m 52s

Trump Freezes Trillions. Chaos Ensues.

The New York Times
About this episode

In one of his most audacious moves since taking office, President Trump ordered a freeze on Tuesday on trillions of dollars in federal money — from anti-poverty programs to foreign aid — in order to purge the government of what he called woke ideology.

Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the order, the chaos it prompted and whether it is likely to survive in court.

Guests: Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Photo: Doug Mills/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.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Up next
Today
Trump’s Top Aides Spread the Epstein Conspiracy. Now They Are Trying to Kill It.
For months, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that they would expose the hidden, potentially sinister truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019.But over the past few days, the Trump administrationWhite House decided to shut down has poured cold water on t ... Show More
21m 47s
Yesterday
A Love Letter to Camp Mystic
On Monday evening, the death toll from the flooding in Central Texas rose past 100. A single place accounted for 27 of those deaths: Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls.Erin Paisan, who attended Camp Mystic, explains what the place meant to generations of g ... Show More
25m 9s
Jul 7
A Dark Moment for Journalism — and Devastation in Texas
Last week, when Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, announced a $16 million settlement with President Trump over editing of a segment of “60 Minutes,” many of the network’s journalists were furious.The deal also raised questions about the independence of CBS’s journalism, ... Show More
34m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
How Trump’s Federal-Aid Fiasco Is Testing the Separation of Power
On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent out a memo attempting to put a blanket pause on most federal funding, sowing confusion about financing for  student loans, SNAP benefits, nonprofits, and more. The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, while m ... Show More
29m 34s
Jan 2025
Trump 2.0: A Whiplash on Federal Spending
Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball round up the week’s news including nomination hearings, inspectors general firings and the airplane crash in D.C. Plus, they speak to WSJ’s Washington coverage chief Damian Paletta about the administration's freeze on potentially trillions of dollars i ... Show More
25m 22s
Aug 2022
Trump FLUSHES the GOP down the toilet as Pro-Democracy RISES
On today’s MeidasTouch Podcast, Ben and Brett are in Washington, D.C. to bring you the latest breaking updates! After a recap of Jordy’s wedding, Ben and Brett discuss the historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Democrats, and the Republicans’ sticking it on ... Show More
55m 48s
Apr 15
Why is Trump at War With Harvard University?
In today’s episode, we cover Trump’s freeze on Harvard University funding, JD Vance’s comments on a UK-US trade deal, Ecuador’s election, and Sudan’s civil war updates. Watch TLDR’s latest videos here:https://youtu.be/aV388-Ik4wI?si=ApYB5IU-Q5vHcCPuhttps://youtu.be/RmH-R19AsIU?si ... Show More
6m 34s
Feb 2025
Is Trump's Honeymoon Over?
Donald Trump and Elon Musk make their bromance official in a joint interview with Sean Hannity, but polls suggest the American people may already be souring on DC's new it-couple. Trump takes his feud with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dangerous new levels, calling Ukraine's leader a "d ... Show More
1h 14m
Jun 2023
Trump COLLAPSING as Jack Smith TURNS UP HEAT
On this episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast, we bring you the latest updates from this historic week. Donald Trump’s legal troubles have reached new heights, with reporting of a secret recording of the twice-impeached ex-president that speaks to his intent in the stolen documents ... Show More
1h 36m
Apr 9
Trump Tariffs Create Global Chaos
Tommy and Ben discuss the disastrous impact of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, how a fringe right-wing conspiracy theorist got Trump to fire top national security officials, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and the upcoming talks between the Trump administrat ... Show More
1h 38m
May 2023
Trump and GOP EXPOSED for More Crimes and Lies
A new horrifying lawsuit filed against Rudy Giuliani implicates him and Donald Trump in massive new crimes, the Republican Party’s latest scheme goes bust as their much-hyped ‘whistleblowers’ go ‘missing,’ Republicans collectively lose their mind when President Biden condemns whi ... Show More
1h 43m
Apr 22
Trump's First 100 Days: Wading Into The Culture Wars
On the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump decried "gender ideology," said the military was becoming too "woke," and that DEI programs across the federal government should be ended. As president, his executive actions & policies have mirrored his campaign promises in attemptin ... Show More
19m 1s