The Daily

Two battles over the meaning of democracy are now playing out in Europe. We look at the political power maneuvers this week in Britain and Italy. Guest: Katrin Bennhold, the Berlin bureau chief for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 

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Uber transformed American transportation and changed the United States economy. But a decade after its founding, the once-swaggering company is losing more money and growing more slowly than ever. What happened? Guest: Mike Isaac, a technology reporter for The New York Times and the author of “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.” For more information on t... Read more

More than 26,000 fires have been recorded inside the Amazon rainforest in August alone, leading to global calls for action. But Brazil’s government has told the rest of the world to mind its own business. Guest: Ernesto Londoño, the Brazil bureau chief for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 

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At the Group of 7 summit in France, President Trump seemed determined to prove that he can wage a trade war with China without hurting the economy. But there are already signs of distress. Guest: Peter S. Goodman, an economics correspondent for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 

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This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. 

Nearly a decade before any police investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s predatory actions toward young girls, two sisters came forward to say they had been lured in and abused by the financier and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell. Now that he’s dead, the sisters are wrestling with what might have happened if someone had listened.

Guests: Mike Baker, a nat... Read more

Four hundred years ago, in August 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the British colony of Virginia. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. 

“1619,” a New York Times audio series, examines the long shadow of that fateful moment. Today, instead of our usual show, we present Episode 1: “The Fight for a True Democracy.”

Song playlists at presidential campaign rallies can be about more than music — they can reflect a candidate’s values, political platform, identity and target audience. We examine the role of these playlists in the 2020 campaign. Guest: Astead W. Herndon, who covers national politics for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedai... Read more

For decades, American corporations have prized profits for shareholders above all else. Now, the country’s most powerful chief executives say it’s time to do things differently. What’s driving that change? Guest: Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial columnist for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 

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Al Franken resigned from the Senate more than 18 months ago over allegations of sexual harassment. New reporting about those allegations has revived the debate over whether the Democratic Party — particularly senators currently seeking the presidency — moved too fast in calling for him to step down. In an interview, one of those senators, Kirsten Gillibrand, says absolutely not.

Guest: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New Yor... Read more

The New York Times investigated how Cordelia Scaife May, an heiress to the Mellon family’s banking and industrial fortune, used her wealth to sow the seeds of the modern anti-immigration movement — and of Trump administration policy. Guests: Natalie Kitroeff, a business reporter for The Times, spoke with Nicholas Kulish, who covers immigration issues. For more information on today’s episode, visit Read more

At least seven people were killed by a mysterious explosion in northern Russia, and U.S. officials believe it happened during the test of a prototype for a nuclear-propelled cruise missile. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has hailed the weapon as the centerpiece of Moscow’s arms race with the United States — but what will this mean for an arms race that both countries want to win? Guest: Read more

Under international pressure, China has said it has released a vast majority of the Muslim Uighurs it had placed in detention camps. We follow up with an American citizen who says the Chinese government cannot be trusted, and find out how Beijing’s propaganda machine has responded to his efforts to protect a relative who was detained. If you missed the previous interview, Read more

Protesters have flooded Hong Kong’s airport, paralyzing operations and escalating tensions between the semiautonomous territory and Beijing. The protesters are trying to send a message to government officials — and to people in mainland China. Guest: Javier C. Hernández, a New York Times correspondent based in Beijing. For more information on today’s epi... Read more

Federal prosecutors were confident that, this time, justice would be served in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. What happens to the case against him now that he is dead?  Guest: Benjamin Weiser, an investigative criminal justice reporter for The New York Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit Read more

Since Democrats retook the House last November, the world has come to know the progressive and divisive vision of four freshmen congresswomen known as “the squad.” But it was moderates — less well-known and laser-focused on common ground between Democrats and Republicans — who were responsible for flipping seats and winning back the House. Today, we meet a moderate Democrat who offers a competing vision of the party ahead of the... Read more

India has guaranteed a degree of autonomy to the people of Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, since 1947. Why did India unilaterally erase that autonomy this week? Guest: Jeffrey Gettleman, the South Asia bureau chief for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading: 

President Trump traveled on Wednesday to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, where mass shootings killed 31 people. Our colleagues described the scene in both cities. Guests: Mitch Smith, who covers the Midwest for The New York Times, and Michael Crowley, a White House correspondent. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 

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In the years before his death, Osama bin Laden seemed to be grooming a successor to lead Al Qaeda: his own son. Here’s what we learned this week about those plans. Guest: Rukmini Callimachi, who covers terrorism for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/th... Read more

At least three mass shootings this year — including one in El Paso — have been announced in advance on the online message board 8chan, often accompanied by racist writings. We look at the battle over shutting down the site. Guests: Kevin Roose, who writes about technology for The New York Times, spoke with Fredrick Brennan, the founder of 8chan. For more inform... Read more