The Daily: Thanks a Billion

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

By Michael Barbaro

Some of the people who make "The Daily." Not pictured: Our other beloved colleagues who make "The Daily."Damon Winter/The New York Times

Since our first episode in February 2017, "The Daily" has featured 224 of our Times colleagues in at least 30 countries across 691 episodes. It has also featured 25 elected officials (4 openly disillusioned), 1 out-of-work coal miner, 1 former white nationalist, 1 former ISIS member, 1 current Russian troll, 1 fired F.B.I. director, 1 border sheriff, 2 undocumented immigrants, 3 White House interviews, 1 Times publisher and 1 set of 10-year-old twins — to name a few.

This past week, we reached a new milestone: 1 billion downloads.

That's billion, with a B.

Back in 2017, when a team of four struggled just to put out a show every morning, such a number seemed unimaginable. Even now, it's difficult for us to wrap our heads around it.

It took a village, so there are a few people we'd like to thank:

The Times Audio team, which has redefined what the news sounds like. Our colleagues in the newsroom, who have enthusiastically embraced the show and helped pioneer this new way of telling stories. The leadership of The Times, which has nurtured the show at every turn. And, finally, you, our listeners, who have allowed us into your lives and routines, recommended us to friends and improved the show with your feedback.

Thank you.

Here's to the next billion!

— Michael, Lisa Tobin and Theo Balcomb

P.S. And since we're talking numbers: Our most downloaded episode of 2019 — and in our history — was "Reckoning With the Real Michael Jackson." Our most downloaded episode from 2018: "The Blasey-Kavanaugh Hearing." And from 2017: "A Hate Crime, or a Wound from War?"

Talk to Michael on Twitter: @mikiebarb.

An entire secret system

In a two-part series, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the reporters who first broke the Harvey Weinstein story, told us their findings about two famous feminist lawyers — Lisa Bloom and her mother, Gloria Allred — who helped keep his secrets. Bloom used her experience defending women to represent Weinstein, and Allred provided legal counsel to one of Weinstein's accusers, who entered into a confidential settlement in 2004 that prevented her from talking about the case. Many of you wrote in with shock over Bloom's actions, but some of you pointed out that Allred's handling of the settlement showed she was following proper legal protocol. Wouldn't an attorney advise her client to adhere to the terms of a legal agreement? We asked Jodi and Megan to share their thoughts on this feedback:

"In these episodes, we make clear that Gloria Allred is operating within an entire system of secret out-of-court settlements that have silenced victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault, and that Ashley Matthau's case was quite standard. We point out that Allred and other attorneys have defended secret settlements, saying that they provide needed financial recompense to victims, that victims often want privacy and that the accused also wants the opportunity to move on. 'A client will say, "I want to be compensated, this is a significant amount you've been able to achieve for me, I'm very happy with that, but why should I have to keep secret?"' Allred told us in an interview. 'That's because that powerful figure wants peace, wants to end it, and wants to move on in the same way that you want to move on.'

"But this series was also designed to showcase growing questions about the ironclad secrecy of these agreements, which have allowed alleged predators like Weinstein to go on and reportedly hurt more women."

Two words: selfie line

We've been hearing a lot about the big crowds that Senator Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign rallies pull in, and especially about one of the most 2019-worthy features of her events: the selfie line. So when the candidate came to Washington Square Park in Manhattan, we went to see for ourselves what a Warren rally is like. Here are some snapshots from the making of today's episode.

Michael and our producer Clare Toeniskoetter meeting attendees waiting for Warren to take the stage. (This photo was captured by a "Daily" listener who spotted our team in the crowd. Thanks, Joel!)Joel Sheakoski

When a presidential campaign rally is in your backyard, a lot of your colleagues show up. Clare and the political reporter Tom Kaplan are on the right. On the left, a cameo from a "Daily" regular, Alex Burns.Michael Barbaro/The New York Times

The crowd on Monday night, which the Warren campaign estimated at 20,000 (a figure President Trump disputes).Michael Barbaro/The New York Times

At last, the selfie line! Clare, in the foreground, tried as hard as she could to get her mic close to Warren, who was standing in front of the flag. The candidate took pictures with voters for four hours.Michael Barbaro/The New York Times

On 'The Daily' this week

Monday: One of the C.I.A.'s most valuable spies in Russia is no longer there. Julian Barnes on what that means for American intelligence operations as the 2020 election approaches.

Tuesday: "There's every possibility that the response to this strike in Saudi Arabia or another strike by the Iranians or others in the region could actually trigger a regional war," says David Sanger.

Wednesday: In a two-part series, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey talk about the role of two feminist icons in the system that protected Harvey Weinstein. First up: Lisa Bloom.

Thursday: "What she's not saying is that she and her firm had actually known that something was wrong for years and had actually helped keep it quiet." In Part 2 of our Weinstein series: a look at Gloria Allred.

Friday: We experience the growing phenomenon that is an Elizabeth Warren rally. "If she goes on to become the Democratic nominee, it will have had a lot to do with how she's approached these rallies," says Tom Kaplan.