Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is nobody’s idea of a partisan firebrand. She’s a moderate, swing-state Democrat with a résumé steeped in law enforcement — all of which makes her an unlikely leader of the Democratic-led shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has now entered its sixth day.

But over the past few months, Senator Cortez Masto said she was horrified by the conduct of federal immigration enforcement agents in her own state and across the country. By last week, she and many of her Democratic colleagues in the Senate decided to act on their outrage.

In an interview with her on “The Daily,” Senator Cortez Masto talks about why she decided to support withholding homeland security funding, the political perils for her party in blocking that funding and why she believes most Americans support the strategy.

Guest: Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada

Background reading:

• Democrats and the White House traded offers, but a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security remained elusive.
• A polling memo circulated among centrist senators urged Democrats to talk tougher on crime, while noting an opportunity for the party to appeal to voters with criticism of ICE.

Photo: Eric Lee for 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.

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“Vibecoding,” or using artificial-intelligence tools such as Claude Code to generate code for websites or apps, is the newest A.I. trend, and it could transform the software-development industry.

Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for The New York Times, takes us inside the process.

Guest: Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for The New York Times in the San Francisco Bay Area and a host of the Times tech podcast, “Hard Fork.”

Background reading:

• Here is the website Kevin and Natalie built during the episode.
• Here are five ways people are using Claude Code.
• With “vibecoding," A.I. can help anyone build an app.

Photo: Photo illustration by 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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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For more than six decades, the United States has tried to topple the regime in Cuba. After ousting President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, who was one of Cuba’s closest allies, the Trump administration is closer than ever to forcing radical change on the island.

The New York Times reporters Frances Robles and Michael Crowley discuss how the latest escalation is pushing Cuba to the brink, and whether this time the United States will get what it wants.

Guest:

• Frances Robles, an international correspondent covering Latin America and the Caribbean for The New York Times.
• Michael Crowley, a reporter covering the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• Cuba’s government has lasted 67 years. Will it fall under Mr. Trump?
• Can Cuba survive without Venezuela’s oil?

Photo: Yamil Lage/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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