The special counsel’s office disputed an explosive BuzzFeed report claiming that President Trump had instructed his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to lie to Congress — and that investigators had evidence of this. The scrutiny that followed calls to mind another reporting team and its challenges in the 1970s. Guests: Bob Woodward, one of the Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate story, and 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.

The Perils of Reporting on an Investigation of the President

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The comedian talks to David Marchese on becoming a different person after unimaginable loss.

'The Interview': Marlon Wayans Lost Nearly 60 Loved Ones. Comedy Saved Him.

Warning: this episode contains strong language.

Over the past week, students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments and, at times, seized academic buildings. In response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down and called in the local police to detain and arrest demonstrators.

As of Thursday, the police had arrested 2,000 people across more than 40 campuses, a situation so startling that President Biden could no longer ignore it.

Jonathan Wolfe, who has been covering the student protests for The Times, and Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent, discuss the history-making week.

Guest: 

Jonathan Wolfe, a senior staff editor on the newsletters team at The New York Times.
Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times covering President Biden and his administration.

The Protesters and the President

For half a century, the federal government has treated marijuana as one of the more dangerous drugs in the United States. On Tuesday, the Biden administration signaled a significant shift in approach.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The Times, explains how big an impact the proposed changes could have.

Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Biden Loosens Up on Weed

But in Washington, the Biden administration is challenging one of those bans in a case that is now before the Supreme Court, arguing that Idaho’s strict rules violate a federal law on emergency medical treatment.

Pam Belluck, a health and science reporter at The Times, and Abbie VanSickle, who covers the Supreme Court, explain how the federal law, known as EMTALA, relates to abortion, and how the case could reverberate beyond Idaho. 

Guests: 

Pam Belluck, a health and science reporter for The New York Times.
Abbie VanSickle, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times.

The New Abortion Fight Before the Supreme Court

American lawmakers have tried for years to ban TikTok, concerned that the video app’s links to China pose a national security risk.

Sapna Maheshwari, a technology reporter for The Times, explains the behind-the-scenes push to rein in TikTok and discusses what a ban could mean for the app’s 170 million users in the United States.

Guest: Sapna Maheshwari, who covers TikTok, technology and emerging media companies for The New York Times.

The Perils of Reporting on an Investigation of the President

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