The Daily

There are several figures that tell the story of the American economy right now.

Some are surprisingly positive — the housing market is booming — while others paint a more dire picture.

Using seven key numbers, we look at the sectors that have been affected most profoundly and consider what the path to recovery might look like.

Guest: Ben Casselman, who covers economics and business for The New York Times, walks us through the pandemic’s impact.

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Background reading:

• Here is Ben’s snapshot of the key data points for understanding the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
• The expiration of two critical programs at the end of this year could leave millions of Americans vulnerable and short-circuit the nation’s precarious recovery.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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President Trump is pushing the military to accelerate the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, all but guaranteeing a major place for the Taliban in the country’s future.

As a child, Mujib Mashal lived through the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Now a senior correspondent there for The New York Times, he has for years reported on the extremist group and, more recently, has covered the progress of peace talks.

In this episode of “The Daily,” he shares memories of his childhood and tales from his reporting, and reflects on whether a peaceful resolution is possible.

Guest: Mujib Mashal, senior correspondent in Afghanistan for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

• President Trump is expected to order the U.S. military to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia by the time he leaves office in January.
• The Taliban have outlasted a superpower through nearly 19 years of grinding war and now stand on the brink of realizing their most fervent desire: U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan. They have given up little of their extremist ideology to do it.
• Children of men who played key roles in the war against the Soviets in the 1980s are on both sides of the negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban. They know all too well what is at stake.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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As it became clear that Europe was heading into another deadly wave of the coronavirus, most of the continent returned to lockdown. European leaders pushed largely similar messages, asking citizens to take measures to protect one another again, and governments offered broad financial support.

Weeks later, the effort seems to be working and infection rates are slowing.

In several parts of the United States, it’s a different story. In the Midwest, which is experiencing an explosion of cases similar to that seen earlier in Europe, leaders have not yet managed to come up with a coherent approach to loosen the virus’s grip.

Is it too late for America to learn the lessons from Europe?

Guests: Matina Stevis-Gridneff, who covers the European Union for The New York Times, and Mitch Smith, a national correspondent for The Times based in the Midwest.

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Background reading:

• Much of Europe went back into lockdown late last month to try to stop the spread of the virus and ease the strain on hospitals.
• After weeks of warnings that cases were again on the rise, a third surge of coronavirus infection has firmly taken hold in the United States.
• As cases grow, the pandemic is becoming so widespread in the United States that every American will know someone who has been infected.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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For four years, Democrats had been united behind the mission of defeating President Trump.

But after the election of Joe Biden, the party’s disappointing showing in congressional races — losing seats in the House and facing a struggle for even narrow control of the Senate — has exposed the rifts between progressives and moderates.

In interviews with The New York Times, House members on each side of that divide — Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Representative Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania — shared their views about how the Democrats can win back support in local races.

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Guest: Astead W. Herndon, a national political reporter for The New York Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• In the wake of Joe Biden’s victory, the divides that have long simmered among Democrats are now beginning to burst into the open.
• In an interview with The New York Times, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed criticism from House moderates and said the next few weeks would set the tone for how the incoming administration would be received by liberal activists.
• Representative Conor Lamb told The Times that he expected the Biden team to govern as it had campaigned: with progressives at arm’s length.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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For the folk duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, pandemic isolation brought about a creative boon. In a year that has been defined by uncertainty, they have returned to what they know: songs about the slow, challenging, beautiful heat of living.

This story was written by Hanif Abdurraqib and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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Maggie Haberman on why the traditional transfer of power is not happening this year, and the implications of that delay.

Guest: Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• Days after President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. was declared the winner of the election, President Trump has still refused to concede.
• Advisers to the president say Mr. Trump is seeing how far he can push his case and ensure the continued support of his Republican base.
• A number of leading Republicans have rallied around the president, declining to challenge the false narrative that it was stolen from him. Instead, senators have tiptoed around the reality of Mr. Trump’s loss, and the lack of evidence to suggest widespread election fraud or improprieties that could reverse that result.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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It’s a dark time in the struggle with the coronavirus, particularly in the United States, where infections and hospitalizations have surged.

But amid the gloom comes some light: A trial by the drug maker Pfizer has returned preliminary results suggesting that its vaccine is 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-19.

With the virus raging, how strong is this new ray of hope?

Guest: Carl Zimmer, a science writer and author of the “Matter” column for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• Pfizer has announced positive early results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, cementing the lead in a frenzied global race that has unfolded at record-breaking speed.
• Meet the couple behind the German company, BioNTech, that partnered with Pfizer to develop the vaccine.

We want to hear from you. Fill out our survey about this show and others at nytimes.com/thedailysurvey.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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After the tumult of last week’s voting, one crucial question remains: Who will control the Senate?

The answer lies in Georgia, where two runoff elections in January will decide who has the advantage in the upper chamber.

With so much at stake, we look at how those races might shake out.

Guest: Julie Hirschfeld Davis, congressional editor for The New York Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler have leveled unfounded claims of foul play in Georgia’s elections, a signal that their campaigns will focus on turning out President Trump’s conservative base.
• What’s a runoff, and why are there two? Here’s an explainer on the Senate races in Georgia.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Nate Cohn, an expert on polling for The New York Times, knows that the predictions for the 2016 presidential election were bad.

But this year, he says, they were even worse.

So, what happened?

Nate talks us through a few of his theories and considers whether, after two flawed performances, polling should be ditched.

Guest: Nate Cohn, a domestic correspondent for The Upshot at The New York Times, speaks to us about the polls and breaks down the election results.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• As the results rolled in on Tuesday night, so did a strong sense of déjà vu. Pre-election polls, it appeared, had been misleading once again.
• Leading Republicans — including Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader — have backed President Trump’s refusal to concede.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This episode contains strong language.

The sound of victory was loud. It was banging pots, honking horns and popping corks as supporters of President-elect Joe Biden celebrated his win.

But loss, too, has a sound. In the days after the U.S. election result was announced, some of the 71 million-plus Americans who backed President Trump are grieving.

Can the country overcome its differences? In discussions with voters in areas both red and blue, we traced the fault lines of the country’s deep rifts.

Guest: Astead W. Herndon, a Times national political reporter, spoke with voters in Mason County, Texas. Robert Jimison, Jessica Cheung and Andy Mills, producers of “The Daily,” and Alix Spiegel, an editor, also reported from across the country.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• In his victory speech, President-elect Biden vowed to try to unite all Americans, despite ideological differences. But President Trump’s refusal to concede could undermine Mr. Biden’s perceived legitimacy in some corners of the country.
• In the aftermath of the election, a crucial question emerged for divided families and a divided nation: What happens now?

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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