How Iran’s Internet Blackout Is Crippling Its Economy, and the Fight Over Fruit-Flavored Vapes
5/12/20269 min
Plus, how everything became a subscription.
Here’s what we’re covering:
Mass Layoffs in Iran as Businesses Buckle Under Wartime Pressures, by Leily Nikounazar
Trump Proposes Suspending Federal Gas Tax Until Prices Fall, by Shawn McCreesh
With Commissioner Under Pressure, F.D.A. Opens Door to Flavored Vapes, by Christina Jewett
Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million., by David A. Fahrenthold and Luke Broadwater
Israel Prepares to Prosecute First Suspects in Oct. 7 Attack Led by Hamas, by Johnatan Reiss
Streaming, Toilet Paper, Underwear: Subscription Fatigue Is Setting In, by Sopan Deb
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsYeganeh Torbati· Guest0:00
I'm Valerie Hopkins. I cover Russia for The New York Times.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:03
[foreign language] Valerie Hopkins, [foreign language] The New York Times.
Yeganeh Torbati· Guest0:06
[foreign language] It's pretty difficult to report from Russia. Often, I'm the only New York Times reporter in the country. I keep working in Russia because what happens here matters, and our audience deserves to get a broad perspective of the world that they live in. If you wanna make sure we can keep doing this work, subscribe to The New York Times.
Tracy Mumford· Host0:26
[instrumental music] From The New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Tuesday, May 12th. Here's what we're covering.
Yeganeh Torbati· Guest0:37
I've been hearing from a lot of Iranians over the past month or so, and I think for those who at one point supported some kind of military action, whether by the US or by Israel because they opposed the government and wanted to see the government fall, there's been a lot of despondency at sort of what the last couple months have brought to Iran. They have come to the conclusion that military action has only kind of made their situation worse inside Iran.
Tracy Mumford· Host1:09
My colleague Yeganeh Torbati covers Iran, where she's been able to reach people through text messages and voice memos in the fleeting windows when they can get an internet connection. She says people who oppose the regime say the government's only become more hard line and more entrenched since the war began, and the conditions in their everyday lives are deteriorating.
Yeganeh Torbati· Guest1:28
Job losses