Extreme Water Shortages in the West, and Hegseth’s Pentagon Purge

Description

Plus, the rocky, unpredictable race for California governor.  Here’s what we’re covering: A Terrible Winter for Snow Heads Into a Bleak Summer of Drought (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/us/snow-pack-summer-drought.html) , by Jack Healy, Reis Thebault and Scott Dance Trump Backs Off Plan for $1.8 Billion Fund That Drew Political Backlash (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/politics/trump-drop-weaponization-fund.html) , by Tyler Pager, Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer, Devlin Barrett and Annie Karni Hegseth Strikes Female and Black Navy Officers From Promotion List (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/politics/hegseth-navy-promotion-list.html) , by Greg Jaffe and Kate Kelly Israel Appears to Pull Back From Threat to Strike Beirut (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/02/world/iran-war-trump-israel-lebanon) , by The New York Times California Votes on Newsom’s Successor After Turbulent Primary Campaign (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/elections/california-primary-what-to-watch.html) , by Laurel Rosenhall and Shane Goldmacher How Wine, Truffles and Honey Could Help Europe Fight Wildfires (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/world/europe/wine-truffles-firefighting-climate-change.html) , by Jeanna Smialek Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: theheadlines@nytimes.com (mailto:theheadlines@nytimes.com) . Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://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.