The Daily News Briefing in Podcasts

Rats, broken windows and overfilled cells are a daily reality for prisoners in England’s crumbling jails. Helen Pidd reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Their dad is in prison for his actions on Jan. 6. Their brother was the one who turned him in. Their mom moved to D.C. to support “political prisoners” in the D.C. jail. Sarah and Peyton Reffitt are caught in the middle. Can this family reconcile?

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On Christmas Eve 2020, Guy Reffitt sent a text to his family group chat. He was furious about the outcome of the 2020 election — which he believed was stolen from former President Donald Trump. “Too many lines have been crossed,” he wrote. “Too many years this happened. We are about to rise up the way the Constitution was written.” 

That’s when his son, Jackson Reffitt, went to his room and filed a tip to the FBI. 

Roughly 15 percent of the more than 1,100 people charged for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021, were turned in by family members, friends or acquaintances. The Reffitts are one of those families, shattered by the insurrection and its aftermath. Now, they’re trying to put the pieces back together.

Today on “Post Reports,” listen to the Reffitts as they try to work through everything that’s happened in their family — and in the country — over the past few years.

Climate activists have tried marching and lobbying. Now, a growing flank of movement radicals want to take more extreme action. Author Dana Fisher tells us who they are, and sociologist Matthew Wolfe traces the history of radical environmentalism in the US.

Today’s episode was produced by Avishay Artsy with an assist from Siona Peterous. It was edited by Miranda Kennedy and fact-checked by Jon Ehrens. Our engineer is Patrick Boyd.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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In one of the most serious political corruption cases in recent history, federal prosecutors have accused a senior U.S. senator of trading the power of his position for cash, gifts and gold.

Tracey Tully, who covers New Jersey for The Times, tells the story behind the charges against the senator, Robert Menendez, and his wife, Nadine, and describes the role played by Wael Hana, an Egyptian American businessman at the center of the allegations.

Guest: Tracey Tully covers New Jersey for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, charged with taking bribes in exchange for exerting political influence, predicted that he would be exonerated.
• Inside the Menendez investigation: Federal prosecutors have accused the senator and his wife, Nadine, of accepting bribes in exchange for official actions by Mr. Menendez.

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