The 15 Best Daily News Podcasts (2026)

The Daily from The New York Times has basically become the default morning news podcast for millions of people, and there's a good reason for that. Michael Barbaro (along with co-hosts Rachel Abrams and Natalie Kitroeff) takes one or two stories each episode and spends a full 20 minutes really getting into them. That's the key difference here -- instead of rattling off headlines, you get NYT reporters walking through their own investigations and sourcing in real time. The format works because it trusts you to sit with a single topic. Monday through Saturday, you'll hear from reporters who actually broke the stories, explaining not just what happened but the texture around it -- the phone calls, the documents, the moments that didn't make the print edition. Barbaro's interviewing style is distinctive (some people love the dramatic pauses, others find them a bit much), but he's genuinely skilled at pulling out the human side of complex policy stories. With over 2,500 episodes and more than 100,000 ratings on Apple Podcasts, it's one of the most listened-to podcasts in the world, period. The production quality is top-notch -- the sound design, the music cues, the pacing all feel cinematic without being overwrought. If you only have time for one news podcast in the morning, this is the safe bet. It won't cover everything, but what it does cover, it covers thoroughly.

Up First is NPR's daily morning briefing, and it does exactly what the name promises. Three stories, roughly ten minutes, ready to go by 6:30 a.m. Eastern every weekday. A Saturday edition lands at 9 a.m. for anyone who wants a weekend catch-up. The rotating host lineup includes Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, and A Martinez, each bringing a slightly different interviewing style but all sharing that distinctly NPR ability to distill complex stories without condescending. The format is ruthlessly efficient. Each story gets a correspondent's report -- someone who actually covered it, not a studio anchor reading a summary -- followed by a few lines of host context, and then you move on. No extended banter, no filler segments. It respects your time in a way that few shows do. That tight structure is what makes it perfect for mornings. You can listen while brushing your teeth and walk out the door knowing the three things everyone will be talking about that day. NPR's global correspondent network means you're getting real reporting from real places, not repackaged wire copy. The production is clean and professional without being flashy. With well over a thousand episodes and tens of thousands of positive reviews, this is one of the most popular podcasts in America for a reason. There's a paid Up First+ tier that removes sponsor messages, but the free version works perfectly fine. If you want headlines with substance before your first cup of coffee, this is the gold standard.

If your news diet is mostly American outlets, the BBC Global News Podcast is the corrective you probably need. Running since 2006, it publishes twice daily on weekdays and once on weekends, each episode clocking in at roughly 26 to 32 minutes. The BBC World Service correspondents stationed in bureaus across dozens of countries give this show a genuinely international scope that most U.S.-based news pods can't match. You'll hear about elections in Senegal, trade disputes in Southeast Asia, and climate policy in the EU alongside the stories making American headlines. The format is straightforward -- a presenter moves through several stories, bringing in reporters and analysts for each segment. There's no single star host here; the focus stays on the reporting itself. That can feel a bit formal compared to personality-driven American podcasts, but it also means less editorializing and more ground-level journalism. With over 2,500 episodes and a 4.3-star rating, it has a loyal following, especially among listeners who travel or do business internationally. The twice-daily schedule is a nice touch -- the morning edition sets up the day, and the evening edition catches what broke afterward. Production is polished in that understated BBC way: clear audio, no gimmicks, minimal music. For anyone who wants a wider lens on what's happening in the world, this is hard to beat.

Today, Explained takes the Vox philosophy -- explain things clearly, not just report them -- and turns it into a daily podcast that runs about 25 minutes. Sean Rameswaram and Noel King share hosting duties, and the chemistry works. Rameswaram has a knack for asking the follow-up question you were thinking. King, who came over from NPR, brings a directness that keeps conversations moving. Each episode picks a single story and pulls it apart with reporters, academics, and people on the ground. If tariffs go up on Chinese goods, they won't just read the announcement. They'll bring on an economist to walk through the supply chain effects, then talk to a factory owner in Ohio, then explain why this particular trade mechanism was chosen over alternatives. It's news for people who want to understand the machinery behind headlines, not just scan them. The production has a recognizable Vox polish -- clean editing, thoughtful pacing, occasional sound design that adds texture without being distracting. Episodes drop daily, usually late enough in the afternoon to catch the day's biggest developments, but many listeners save them for the next morning's commute. That next-morning approach actually works well because the explanatory format ages better than a straight headline recap. With around 2,000 episodes since its 2018 launch, the archive alone is a solid education in recent history. Great choice if your reaction to most news is "okay, but why is this happening?"

The Journal. (yes, with the period) is a collaboration between The Wall Street Journal and Spotify Studios, and it's become one of the best daily news podcasts for people who care about business and money. Hosts Ryan Knutson and Jessica Mendoza take one story per episode and spend about 20 minutes on it, drawing on the WSJ's deep reporting bench. The result feels like the best version of a newspaper feature -- meticulously reported, well-structured, and told with enough narrative skill to keep you listening even when the topic is, say, regulatory changes at the SEC. The show doesn't limit itself to business, though. You'll get episodes on tech regulation, geopolitical shifts, cultural phenomena -- anything where money and power intersect, which is basically everything. Knutson's interviewing style is calm and precise, pulling details out of WSJ reporters who've spent weeks or months on their beats. Mendoza brings a complementary energy, often grounding abstract policy in real human impact. With over 300 episodes in its current run and a 4.2-star rating from more than 5,600 reviews, it has a devoted following. The production quality is excellent -- tight editing, clear audio, and smart use of tape from sources. It's the kind of show where you'll finish an episode and actually remember what you learned three days later. A strong pick for anyone who wants their daily news with an economic and business lens baked in.

Post Reports was The Washington Post's flagship daily podcast for seven years, hosted by Martine Powers and later joined by Elahe Izadi. The show aired its final episode on February 6, 2026, making it a concluded series. During its run, it delivered weekday episodes around 5 p.m. Eastern, a different cadence from most morning news pods -- which actually worked well for people who wanted an end-of-day wrap-up rather than a morning briefing. Episodes varied widely in length, from tight 8-minute recaps to deeper 40-minute explorations, depending on the story. The format leaned heavily on the Post's investigative muscle, bringing in the reporters who actually worked the stories rather than relying on a single host to summarize everything. Powers had a knack for asking sharp questions without being combative, and Izadi added range as a co-host who could shift between hard news and cultural coverage. With roughly 1,900 episodes over its lifetime and a 4.2-star rating from over 5,200 reviews, it built a loyal audience that valued the Post's depth of reporting. The production was clean and professional, with strong editing that kept episodes moving. While the show is no longer producing new episodes, its archive remains a valuable record of major stories from 2019 through early 2026, and it's still worth listening to for anyone interested in how the Post covered a turbulent period in American politics and public life.

Start Here from ABC News is hosted by Brad Mielke, and the pitch is simple: a straightforward look at the day's top stories in about 20 minutes. In practice, episodes tend to run closer to 25-28 minutes, but the pacing is brisk enough that it never feels padded. Mielke's style is conversational without being casual -- he sounds like a well-informed colleague catching you up over coffee rather than a news anchor reading a teleprompter. Each episode typically covers three to four stories, with ABC News correspondents calling in from wherever the news is happening. The segments are tightly edited, moving efficiently from setup to reporting to analysis. What makes Start Here stand out in a crowded field is Mielke's ability to contextualize stories quickly. He won't just tell you about a Supreme Court decision; he'll spend 30 seconds on why it matters in plain language before handing off to the legal correspondent. That bridging work makes complex stories approachable. Running since 2018 with a 4.5-star rating from over 6,200 reviews, it has quietly built a strong following. The ABC News brand gives it access to a wide correspondent network, which means you're getting reports from people who are actually at the border, in the courtroom, or on Capitol Hill. It doesn't have the massive audience of The Daily or Up First, but listeners who stick with it tend to become regulars. A solid, reliable morning news podcast that doesn't waste your time.

Today in Focus is The Guardian's daily podcast, and it operates in two distinct modes. The morning edition, hosted by Helen Pidd, Nosheen Iqbal, and Annie Kelly, runs about 25-32 minutes and takes a deep, often investigative approach to a single story. The evening edition, called "The Latest" and hosted by Lucy Hough, is a 10-minute briefing that catches you up on whatever broke that day. It's a smart structure -- you get depth in the morning and speed in the evening. The morning show is where the real value lies. Guardian reporters are known for their long-form investigative work, and this podcast gives those reporters a chance to tell their stories in their own voices. You'll hear episodes about housing crises, immigration policy, climate disasters, and corporate malfeasance, often told from the perspective of the people directly affected. The reporting has a distinctly British and international flavor, covering European and global stories that American news pods tend to skip. With about 723 episodes and a 4.5-star rating, it has a dedicated audience. The production is polished -- good sound design, effective use of field recordings, and hosts who know how to guide a conversation without dominating it. If you lean toward The Guardian's journalism and want a daily podcast that goes beyond headlines, this one delivers. The two-edition format also means you can pick the version that fits your schedule without feeling like you're missing out.

What A Day comes from Crooked Media, the same company behind Pod Save America, and it functions as a fast, sharp daily news show with a clear progressive editorial lens. Host Jane Coaston anchors the current version, bringing a rapid-fire delivery and a genuine curiosity that makes even well-covered stories feel fresh. Each episode runs roughly 15 to 20 minutes and tackles the biggest headlines of the day, with particular emphasis on American politics, policy, and culture. Coaston is good at cutting through spin. She'll take a political announcement, strip away the messaging, and explain what's actually changing for real people. The show doesn't pretend to be neutral -- Crooked Media has always been upfront about its perspective -- but it also doesn't devolve into pure opinion. There's actual reporting here, actual context, and a willingness to call out failures across the political spectrum when the facts demand it. The weekday format keeps things tight, and the show frequently features Crooked Media's other reporters and correspondents who add depth on specific topics. New episodes arrive early enough to be a solid morning listen, covering both the previous day's breaking stories and setting up what's ahead. The tone is smart and occasionally funny without trying too hard. Production quality is consistently strong -- clean audio, good pacing, no dead air. If you want a daily briefing that doesn't dance around political realities and comes with enough analytical muscle to explain the stakes, What A Day delivers. Just know what editorial perspective you're signing up for.

The FT News Briefing packs global financial news into under ten minutes. That compression is the entire point. The Financial Times has one of the most respected international business newsrooms on the planet, and this podcast distills their daily output into a brisk morning segment you can finish before your train reaches the next stop. The show covers market movements, central bank decisions, corporate earnings, geopolitical developments that affect trade -- the full scope of what the FT reports on, condensed to its essentials. What makes this stand out from other business briefings is the global perspective. American business podcasts tend to orbit the S&P 500 and Silicon Valley. The FT News Briefing treats London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, and Mumbai as equally important datelines. If something is happening in European energy markets or Asian supply chains, you'll hear about it here before most U.S. outlets pick it up. The correspondents reporting in are specialists who cover their beats year-round, so you're getting genuine expertise rather than generalist summaries. The tone is crisp and professional -- no forced jokes, no extended small talk, just clear reporting with enough context to make sense of the numbers. Episodes drop on weekday mornings. The host rotates between several FT journalists, but the quality stays consistent across presenters. For anyone whose work involves international markets, currency movements, or global trade, this is the most efficient way to start the day informed. Even for non-finance listeners, the international coverage fills gaps that domestic shows leave open.

The Globalist is Monocle's flagship daily news program, and it's unlike anything else in the podcast space. Running weekday mornings at 7 a.m. GMT, episodes stretch to an hour or more -- sometimes nearly two hours -- which is a significant time commitment, but Monocle makes it work. The show features a large rotating cast of hosts including Andrew Mueller, Andrew Tuck, Georgina Godwin, and several others, each bringing a distinct perspective shaped by Monocle's cosmopolitan editorial sensibility. The coverage is relentlessly international. Where most news podcasts center on Washington or London, The Globalist might lead with an infrastructure project in Japan, a design festival in Milan, or a political crisis in West Africa. It's the kind of show where a segment on trade policy is followed by a conversation about architecture, and somehow it all hangs together. Monocle's correspondents and contributors are scattered across the globe, and the show leans into that network. Nominated for Best Daily Podcast at the 2020 British Podcast Awards, it has earned critical respect even if its audience (122 ratings on Apple Podcasts, 4.3 stars) is more niche than the big American shows. That's part of the appeal, honestly. This is a podcast for people who read international newspapers and find most daily news pods too parochial. The length can be daunting, but you can dip in and out -- the segmented format makes it easy to skip ahead. If you want a daily news show that takes the rest of the world seriously, The Globalist is in a class by itself.

CNN This Morning is the podcast companion to CNN's morning television block, repackaging the strongest segments into an audio format that works without the screen. Each episode pulls highlights from the day's live broadcast -- interviews with newsmakers, correspondent reports from the field, panel discussions on breaking developments -- and edits them into a cohesive listening experience that runs roughly 20 to 30 minutes. The advantage CNN brings is access. When a senator makes news at 7 a.m., CNN often has them on camera by 7:30. When a story breaks overseas, they have correspondents already positioned. That institutional weight translates to the podcast as well. You get interviews and sourcing that smaller outlets simply cannot replicate. The show covers the full spectrum of the news cycle -- politics, international affairs, business, health, culture -- with a slight emphasis on Washington and policy given CNN's traditional strengths. Multiple hosts and correspondents rotate through, which gives you a variety of perspectives and reporting styles in a single episode. The production takes the best of television news -- the immediacy, the access, the live energy -- while trimming the parts that don't translate to audio, like extended anchor desk chatter. Sound quality is broadcast-grade, as you'd expect. Episodes drop on weekday mornings. For listeners who already trust CNN's reporting and want their morning show in podcast form, this is a natural fit. It hits harder on breaking news than most pure-podcast competitors because it's pulling from a live broadcast infrastructure.

Times Radio News Briefing is the ultra-short option in the daily news podcast space. At roughly 3 minutes per episode, it's designed for people who want headlines and absolutely nothing else. Published three times a day -- morning, afternoon, and evening -- by The Times of London, with hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones delivering the latest in a brisk, professional style. There's no analysis, no interviews, no deep context. Just the headlines, read clearly, and then it's over. That might sound limiting, but it actually fills a useful niche. Not every morning requires a 25-minute explainer. Sometimes you just need to know what happened overnight, and three minutes later you're done. The triple-daily schedule means it stays remarkably current -- if something breaks in the afternoon, the evening edition will have it. With about 2,000 episodes published since 2020, the show has been remarkably consistent in format and quality, though its Apple Podcasts audience is small (10 ratings, 4 stars). The British focus means the story selection skews toward UK politics, the economy, and European affairs, making it a complement to American-focused shows rather than a replacement. It's hosted on Acast with clear, studio-quality audio. Think of it as the podcast equivalent of scanning the front page -- you won't come away with deep understanding, but you'll know what's going on. Best used alongside a longer daily podcast for those days when you need a quick refresh between the morning and evening commute.

CNN Political Briefing is hosted by David Chalian, CNN's political director, who has spent decades inside the machinery of political journalism. The show focuses specifically on politics -- no tech news, no international affairs unless they have a direct political angle. Episodes typically run 16 to 27 minutes, and the format usually pairs Chalian with a CNN political reporter or analyst for a focused conversation about whatever is dominating the political conversation that day. Chalian's strength is his institutional knowledge. He can explain not just what a politician said, but why they said it, who they were signaling to, and what the strategic calculation looks like. The conversations tend to be more insider-baseball than populist -- this is a podcast for people who already follow politics and want the analytical layer on top. With 888 episodes and a 3.6-star rating from 315 reviews, the reception is polarized. Some listeners love the focused political analysis, while others have noted the shift from daily to weekly episodes has reduced the show's immediacy and utility. The production is straightforward -- two people talking, essentially -- without the sound design or narrative flair of shows like The Daily. That's fine for what it is, but it does mean the show lives or dies on the quality of the conversation. When Chalian is paired with a sharp guest, it's genuinely illuminating. On weaker episodes, it can feel like cable news punditry in audio form. Best for political junkies who want regular, focused analysis from someone deeply embedded in the D.C. political press corps.

WSJ Tech News Briefing brings the Wall Street Journal's tech coverage into a compact daily podcast format. The show alternates between two formats: full-length episodes of 12-14 minutes that take on a single tech story in depth, and shorter "Tech Minute" segments of 2-3 minutes that deliver a quick headline recap. A rotating team of hosts including Alex Ossola, Zoe Thomas, Julie Chang, Danny Lewis, and Isabelle Bousquette keep the coverage varied, and they all share a clear, no-nonsense delivery style. The WSJ's tech reporting team is one of the strongest in journalism, and this podcast draws directly from their work. You'll hear about antitrust cases against big tech, AI regulation debates, startup funding trends, and cybersecurity threats -- the stories that move markets and shape industry. The reporting is grounded in facts and sources rather than hype, which is refreshing in a tech media environment that often leans toward breathless promotion. With a 4.3-star rating from about 1,600 reviews, the show has a solid following among business and tech professionals. The dual-format approach is clever -- on busy mornings, you can grab the Tech Minute and move on; when you have more time, the full episodes offer real substance. The production matches WSJ's house style: clean audio, professional delivery, minimal filler. It pairs naturally with The Journal for listeners who want both the business narrative and the tech-specific reporting from the same newsroom.