Will Biden Withdraw?

Midway through one of the booziest holiday weekends of the year, we re-examine our love-hate relationship with alcohol.Susan Dominus, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, gets to the bottom of the conflicting guidance on the benefits and risks of drinking.Guest: Susan Dominus, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine.Background reading: Research has piled up debunking the idea that moderate drinking has any health benefits.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday

A major Times poll has found that voters’ doubts about President Biden deepened after his poor performance in the first debate, with Donald J. Trump taking by far his biggest lead of the campaign.Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The Times, explains what those results could mean for Mr. Biden’s future.Guest: Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump now leads Mr. Biden 49 percent to 43 percent among likely voters nationally.Mr. Biden has been left fighting for his political future after his faltering debate performance. Read the latest.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal, was detained in Russia more than a year ago. He has been locked up in a high-security prison and accused of spying for the U.S. government.His trial, held in secret, is now underway.Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses the complicated geopolitics behind Mr. Gershkovich’s detention and the efforts to get him home.Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Russia opened its secret trial of Mr. Gershkovich, who is accused of espionage.A United Nations panel said he was being punished for his reporting on the war in Ukraine.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald J. Trump is entitled to broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that he took while in office.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times, explains how that ruling will weaken the federal case against Mr. Trump for trying to overturn the last U.S. presidential election, and will drastically expand the power of the presidency itself.Guest: Adam Liptak, a Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: The Supreme Court says Mr. Trump has some immunity in the election case.The decision is an extraordinary expansion of executive power that will reverberate long after he is gone.What the immunity ruling means for Mr. Trump.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

President Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week set off a furious discussion among Democratic officials, donors and strategists about whether and how to replace him as the party’s nominee.Peter Baker, who is the chief White House correspondent for The Times, takes us inside those discussions and Biden’s effort to shut them down.Guest: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: President Biden’s allies can no longer wave away concerns about his capacity after his unsteady performance at Thursday’s debate.Mr. Biden’s family is urging him to keep fighting.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In a broken world, what can we gain by looking another animal in the eye? "Animal" is a six-part, round-the-world journey in search of an answer. In Episode 5, the writer Sam Anderson travels to an obscure memorial in rural Japan: the statue of the last Japanese wolf.For photos and videos of Sam's journey to Japan, visit nytimes.com/animal. 

David Marchese talks to the comedy legend about navigating the minefield of fame, “Family Feud” and changing Hollywood forever.

In the first debate of the 2024 race, President Biden hoped to make the case that Donald J. Trump was unfit to return to the White House. Instead, Mr. Biden’s weak performance deepened doubts about his own fitness for the job.Astead W. Herndon, who covers politics for The Times, explains what happened.Guest: Astead W. Herndon, a national politics reporter for The New York Times and the host of the politics podcast “The Run-Up.”Background reading: President Biden’s shaky, halting debate performance has Democrats talking about replacing him on the ticket.Here are six takeaways from 2024’s first presidential debate.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

A new doping scandal is rocking the world of competitive swimming, as the Paris Olympics approach. These allegations are raising questions about fairness in the sport and whether the results at the summer games can be trusted.Michael S. Schmidt, one of the reporters who broke the story, explains the controversy and what it reveals about the struggle to police doping in sports.Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: Chinese swimmers twice tested positive for drugs. They kept on swimming.U.S. swimming stars assailed the World Anti-Doping Agency ahead of the Olympics.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The far right in France had a big win this month, crushing the party of President Emmanuel Macron in elections for the European Parliament. But the results did not affect France’s government at home — until Mr. Macron changed that.Roger Cohen, the Paris bureau chief for The Times, discusses the huge political gamble Mr. Macron has taken, which has brought the far right closer than ever to gaining real power in France.Guest: Roger Cohen, the Paris bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Battered by the far right in voting for the European Parliament, Emmanuel Macron called for new elections in France.The president has challenged voters to test the sincerity of their support for the far right. Were the French letting off steam in the European elections, or did they really mean it?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.