Great Listens: Fake Scam, Happiness, Miranda July
Plus, has Trump already ruined Christmas?
Audio

May 2, 2025

Dinner-table conversation starters: an online scam that wasn’t, the key to happiness, and the complicated truth behind the hit podcast “The Telepathy Tapes.”

Plus: Americans on President Trump’s first 100 days, the “manosphere” across the political spectrum and real estate agents breaking rules.

Great Listens

Sydney Towle at a Cycle for Survival cancer research fund-raiser in Manhattan in March, with friends from college.
Sydney Towle at a cancer fund-raiser in Manhattan in March, with friends from college. 

‘SLAY SOME CHEMO!’

‘I Have Cancer,’ the TikTok Star Said. Then Came the Torrent of Hate.

Our reporter investigates a scam that wasn’t.

Illustration of man looking through keyhole at graph.
Luisa Jung

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE

Chaos Graph: People Trying to Navigate Today’s World

A government scientist, doctors in Gaza and a woman searching for her deported fiancé. New from “This American Life.”

Circular emoji faces in a petri dish on a red colored background.
Photo illustration by Ben Denzer

:)

There’s a Formula for Happiness — but You Won’t Find It Alone

How to turn that frown upside down.

Three men sitting in a sauna.
Catherine Hyland for The New York Times

:(

My Miserable Week in the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’

Adventures — some in the nude — in Finland.

News and Ideas

Donald Trump sits behind a table behind a microphone and a presidential seal.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Trump’s First 100 Days

More News

Unwind

A headshot of Miranda July, the author of “All Fours.” There is a red circle behind her head and a series of black lines.
Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Background: Brian Rea; Inset: Dana Scruggs for The New York Times

MODERN LOVE

Miranda July Knew Exactly What She Was Doing

She wanted her novel “All Fours” to kick-start a conversation about women’s desire. It got heated.

Bruno Mars sings into a microphone while holding a guitar.
Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

THE CULTURE DESK

Bruno Mars: Pop’s Ultimate Shape-Shifter

Why the star continues to dominate the charts 15 years into his career.

Black and white image of Isabel Allende holding her collar.
Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times

THE INTERVIEW

Isabel Allende Understands How Fear Changes a Society

The beloved Chilean author on longing for the nation she once knew.

Two utensils crossed in a bubble on a blue background.
NYT Wirecutter; source photo by iStock/Schatzif

WIRECUTTER

‘Detox’ Your Kitchen

How to limit exposure to plastic and nonstick kitchen gear.

FOR NYT AUDIO SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Great magazines beyond The Times

Article Image

Photographs by Marco Giannavola

New York Magazine

What's the Real Story Behind the 'Telepathy Tapes' Families?

A podcast called The Telepathy Tapes claims a group of nonspeaking autistic people can read minds. The truth is more complicated.

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58 MIN LISTEN

The exterior of Yiwu Wholesale Market building.

Ying Tang/NurPhoto, via Getty Images

Wired

Donald Trump Is Already Ruining Christmas

Tariffs could make it harder for toys, trees, and decorations to arrive in time for the holiday.

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11 MIN LISTEN

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Illustration by Matt Dorfman

New York Review of Books

The Last Bulwark

The fate of our democracy today depends on the judiciary’s commitments to liberty, constitutionalism, and legality.

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20 MIN LISTEN

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