Threats and Cash: How China Meddles in U.S. Local Elections

A curious news story emerged in New York last week. It involved the mayor’s race, a reporter from the news outlet The City and a bag of chips.

Michael Forsythe, a reporter on the investigations team at The New York Times, explains how the episode fits into a larger story about how China has been attempting to influence American politics.

Guest: Michael Forsythe, a reporter on the investigations team at The New York Times.

Background reading:

In the past few years, community organizations have quietly foiled the careers of politicians who opposed China’s authoritarian government.Times reporters witnessed supporters of the New York mayor, Eric Adams, handing out cash-filled envelopes. Sometimes, that money went to reporters from Chinese-language outlets.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Shuran Huang for The New York Times

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