The Daily News Briefing in Podcasts

The recent U.S.-British deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines might look relatively inconsequential. But it signifies a close alliance between the three countries to face off against China.

It is also notable for another reason: It has greatly angered the French. Why?

Guest: Mark Landler, the London bureau chief for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• President Biden’s announcement of a deal to help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines has strained the Western alliance.
• The U.S. pact with Australia and Britain has put Europe closer to a question it has tried to avoid: Which side are you on?

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

German voters will elect a new chancellor for the first time in 16 years on Sunday, as the Angela Merkel era ends. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Vox’s Nicole Narea explains the latest border crisis, and Ayibopost’s Widlore Mérancourt documents deported Haitians’ return to Port-au-Prince.

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts.

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What the latest news from Pfizer means for getting younger kids vaccinated. Plus, who will be able to get a booster shot and when. 

Read more:

On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech said that children ages 5 to 11 had a robust immune response to smaller doses of their coronavirus vaccine. Anita Patel, a critical-care pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital, explains what these results mean for slowing the spread of the coronavirus and what it has been like to take care of severely sick children during the pandemic. 

The Biden administration had promised that this would be the week anybody vaccinated on or before Jan. 20 would be able to get a booster shot. Health and science reporter Lena Sun explains the confusion around who is actually eligible for a booster and when people could get one.