The Daily

When China first began experimenting with capitalism in the 1980s, the West was certain the experiment would fail. But two of its assumptions — that government controls stifle economic growth, and that the internet cannot be tamed — were quickly proven wrong. Nearly 40 years later, China rivals the United States as a global superpower. Its continued success is challenging not just the West’s assumptions about China, but the West’s assumptions about itself. Guest: Philip P...

From the very beginning, the West was certain that China would not pull off its economic experiment. That certainty came from a set of assumptions about how societies function and political freedoms emerge. But those assumptions were wrong — and China became stronger than ever. Guest: Philip P. Pan, the Asia editor for The New York Times, spoke with us from Beijing. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

George Bush rode the Reagan revolution to the White House, where he had one of the highest approval ratings of any president, and where he successfully oversaw the end of the Cold War. So why was he denied a second term? Guest: Peter Baker, who covers the White House for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

President Trump’s former lawyer has pleaded guilty to lying about Mr. Trump’s business ties to Russia and has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel investigation. It’s the second time this week that a subject of the inquiry has been charged with lying. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Many newly elected Democrats in the House have voted to make Representative Nancy Pelosi the next speaker. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she has their support. Guests: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, who covers Congress for The New York Times, and Representative-elect Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

The special counsel’s office says that Paul Manafort, the president’s former campaign chairman, repeatedly lied to investigators, even after agreeing to cooperate in the Russia inquiry. Meanwhile, The Guardian is reporting that Mr. Manafort met with Julian Assange, the head of WikiLeaks, in 2016 — a meeting the special counsel seems to know nothing about. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times...

As large groups of Central American migrants approach the U.S. border, the Trump administration is making it more difficult for them to apply for asylum. Is the president undermining the original concept of asylum, or is he restoring it?  Guest: Caitlin Dickerson, who covers immigration for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

With the rise of online retailers like Amazon, consumers’ expectations about the speed of delivery have been transformed. A New York Times investigation examines the cost of that transformation. Guests: Jessica Silver-Greenberg, a business reporter for The Times; Tasha Murrell, a warehouse employee who shared her experience. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. This episode includes disturbing language.

At nearly every turn, President Trump’s own generals tried to persuade him not to deploy active-duty troops to the United States border with Mexico. So what are 5,000 troops doing there? Guest: Helene Cooper, who covers the Pentagon for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi has renewed criticism of Saudi Arabia more broadly, including the kingdom’s role in the war in Yemen. It’s a war that has created what has been called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world — and one that the United States has backed from the beginning. Guest: Robert F. Worth, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.