‘I Would Like You to Do Us a Favor’

<p>The White House released a reconstructed transcript of President Trump’s phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine. In it, Mr. Trump asks for an investigation into Joseph R. Biden Jr., a potential 2020 rival. We consider what that request means for the impeachment inquiry now underway. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who covers national security and federal investigations for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Different interpretations of the phone call are shaping a debate over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/donald-trump-impeachment-probe.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">whether the president committed high crimes and misdemeanors</a>.</li><li>Read the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/25/us/politics/trump-ukraine-transcript.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">full declassified record of the call</a>, with annotations.</li><li>Here’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/trump-ukraine-whistleblower.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">what we know so far about the whistle-blower complaint</a> that set off this controversy.</li></ul>