The Freshmen: Mikie Sherrill

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 2020 election. Guests: Representative Mikie Sherrill, Democrat of New Jersey; Kate Zernike, a political reporter for The New York Times; and Lisa Chow and Rachel Quester, producers for “The Daily.” For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Disconnects between liberal and moderate House Democrats have exploded into public view at critical moments during their seven months in power.The two rounds of Democratic presidential debates showcased divisions over ideology and identity in a party that appears united only in its desire to defeat President Trump.

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The Epstein Investigation, Now That He’s Dead

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 nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Despite Jeffrey Epstein's death, the criminal investigation that led to the sex-trafficking charges continues. Prosecutors will focus on those who may have aided him.At Mr. Epstein’s Palm Beach home, it was hard for workers to miss what was happening, with about 100 masseuses seen there at various times.

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Inside Hong Kong’s Airport

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 episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Demonstrations led the airport, one of the world’s busiest, to suspend check-ins for two days in a row this week, causing hundreds of flight cancellations. On Wednesday, some protesters apologized for the disruption.The unrest is exposing the inherent conflict in Hong Kong’s political system since China reclaimed the territory from Britain in 1997: an effort to unite Beijing’s authoritarianism with civil liberties.Here’s a guide to what prompted the Hong Kong protests, and a look at how they have evolved.

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Is China Really Freeing Uighurs?

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, listen to it here. Guest: Paul Mozur, a technology reporter for The New York Times based in Shanghai, spoke with Ferkat Jawdat, a Uighur and American citizen who lives in Virginia. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Reporters from The Times found, over seven days of traveling through the Xinjiang region, that the vast network of detention camps erected by the government of China’s authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, continues to operate, and even expand.China’s most recent campaign echoes tactics used by other countries, principally Russia, to inundate domestic and international audiences with bursts of information, propaganda, and in some cases, outright disinformation.

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Russia’s Mystery Missile

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: David E. Sanger, a national security correspondent for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Intelligence officials suspect the blast involved a prototype known as Skyfall, a missile that Mr. Putin has boasted can reach any corner of the earth and evade American missile defenses.As the death toll has risen from the explosion, Russia’s silence and contradictory accounts have conjured dark memories of Chernobyl.

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Bankrolling the Anti-Immigration Movement

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 nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Newly unearthed documents show how an environmental-minded socialite became a nativist whose vision for strictly limiting immigration has, in many ways, reached a culmination in the Trump presidency.Groups that Mrs. May funded shared policy proposals with the Trump campaign, sent staff members to join the administration and have close ties to Stephen Miller, the architect of the president’s immigration agenda.

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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Not Regretting Al Franken

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 York Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Ms. Gillibrand’s stance on Mr. Franken’s departure has come up persistently during her struggling presidential campaign.Our colleague Lisa Lerer interviewed Ms. Gillibrand for the On Politics newsletter.

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