Jon Stewart confronts corruption, Trump and more in his new,

The longtime Daily Show host takes his satirical style to podcasting with The Weekly Show. Plus: five of the best election podcasts

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There are some things that feel like they definitely won’t work as a podcast. Right up there is anything about adorable animals – after all, you can’t exactly hear the tiny button noses. When it comes to cute creatures, it seems obvious that there’s no better way to appreciate them than gazing at them.

But this week, I discovered Animal, a New York Times podcast that proves that the beauty of fauna works even when it’s coming at you via your earholes. From charming tales of rescued baby puffins (technically known by the super-cute term “pufflings”) to a borderline immersive piece of storytelling about the ethereal experience of being stared at by a manatee, it’s a captivating listen – and it has redefined my ideas of what podcasts might be good at.