logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2020
31m 51s

‘I Want To Touch the World’

The New York Times
About this episode

This episode contains strong language.

Nearly 30 years ago, George Perry Floyd Jr. told a high school classmate he would “touch the world” someday. We went to the funeral in Houston of an outsize man who dreamed equally big and whose killing has galvanized a movement against racism across the globe.

Guest: Manny Fernandez, The New York Times’s bureau chief in Houston.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

Up next
Yesterday
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
Jul 8
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
Jun 2020
George Floyd protests: 'I can't breathe'
Protests and riots have been sparked across the US by the killing of George Floyd. Floyd, an unarmed black man, was filmed dying as a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while he was handcuffed and pinned down in the road. Today we bring you stories fro ... Show More
27m 39s
Jun 2020
'The Weight of Living in a Racist World': Finding Emotional Support as a Black Man
This past week has been a lot. Several Bay Area cities joined other communities across the country protesting the police shooting of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, all of them were emotional. This past week has been a lot. Several Bay Area ... Show More
46m 40s
Apr 2021
'Mama, I can't breathe': Witnesses recount George Floyd's last moments
George Floyd’s death under police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee sparked global protests over race and policing. Now, the world is watching Chauvin’s murder trial. Minneapolis Public Radio’s Brandt Williams breaks down the key moments so far. 
24m 51s
Dec 2020
Best of 2020: George Floyd, Central Park Karen, Jimmy Fallon, Ask Bitterman and more.
Good morning and welcome to the ride! Fool #2 opens up the show and the crew talk about "Too Much Tuesday" and more. There was a grave injustice in Minneapolis. George Floyd died at the hands of police. The officers involved in George Floyd's death have been fired. Central Park K ... Show More
1h 27m
Feb 2023
How to reform the US police – with Neil Gross
As the United States grapples with the killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man who died after being beaten by five police officers in Memphis in January, Katie Stallard speaks to Neil Gross, a former police officer and professor of sociology at Colby College. They discus ... Show More
24m 29s
Apr 2021
A Verdict
Three hundred and thirty-one days ago, Derek Chauvin put his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. George Floyd took his last breath on his stomach, hands cuffed behind his back.His death, captured on cell phone video by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, spar ... Show More
29m 20s
May 2021
How NYPD ‘Kettled’ the Spirit of Reform
New Yorkers reacted to George Floyd’s murder with mass protests demanding police accountability. NYPD met them with targeted violence and abuse. On June 4, 2020, a few hundred people gathered in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven to protest the murder of George Floyd. The ... Show More
48m 35s
Jun 2020
All four former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck, has had his charge of third-degree murder upped to a more serious charge of second-degree murder. The other three former officers who were at the scene are charged with aiding and ... Show More
52m 42s
Jul 2020
So Y’all Finally Get It
Excerpts from our June 12 live event, where we caught up about the uprisings and resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. This is the first of three special summer episodes.Discussed this week: Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris in a live New York Times event (June 12, 2020)“‘ ... Show More
25m 59s