In a recent episode of The Daily podcast, hosted by Michael Barbaro, Catie Edmondson, a reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, discusses Speaker Mike Johnson's approach to averting a government shutdown and whether it will lead to a different outcome than his predecessor. The spending fight in Congress is far from over, but with the support of almost all Democrats and a majority of Republicans, the bill was approved under special expedited procedures, despite opposition from G.O.P. conservatives. However, this approach, devised by Johnson early in his tenure as speaker, is seen as a gamble.

The episode also features Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, who delves into the highly anticipated meeting between President Biden and China's top leader, Xi Jinping. The meeting aimed to repair the strained relations between the two countries, which had reached one of their lowest points in decades. However, both American and Chinese accounts of the meeting indicated limited progress on the key issues that have brought the nations to the brink of conflict.

The meeting took place in a mansion outside San Francisco and was closely watched by the international community. The diplomatic efforts were focused on bringing the relationship back from the edge and finding common ground between the two world powers. China's depiction of Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. reflected his contradictory priorities of projecting strength while also demonstrating a willingness to engage with Washington.

Despite the lack of significant progress, the meeting itself was significant in terms of diplomatic symbolism. The episode provides insights into the challenges faced by both sides and the potential implications for future relations between the United States and China.

The Daily podcast, produced by a dedicated team including Olivia Natt, Rob Szypko, and Mooj Zadie, offers various ways to listen and follow the show, including on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. The podcast aims to make transcripts available promptly after each episode's publication, providing accessibility to a wider audience.

The episode concludes with acknowledgments to the individuals involved in creating The Daily, including Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez, and Brendan Klinkenberg. The theme music for the podcast is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly, with special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, and Nina Lassam.