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This week, we\u2019re producing episodes of \u201cThe Daily\u201d from The New York Times\u2019s Washington bureau.\xa0\n\nThe impeachment inquiry is entering a pivotal phase as Congress returns from recess. The White House\u2019s strategy to block the investigation is beginning to crumble, with five administration officials set to testify before House investigators.\n\nOn Monday, those committees heard testimony about why the president removed the longtime ambassador, Marie L. Yovanovitch, just two months before the call in which he asked the Ukrainian president for a favor. Today, we look at how Ms. Yovanovitch ended up at the center of the impeachment process.\xa0\n\nGuests: Sharon LaFraniere, an investigative reporter based in Washington, and Rachel Quester and Clare Toeniskoetter, producers for \u201cThe Daily.\u201d For more information on today\u2019s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.\xa0\n\nBackground coverage:\xa0Marie L. Yovanovitch told House investigators that she was removed from office on the basis of \u201cfalse claims by people with clearly questionable motives.\u201d\xa0The effort to pressure Ukraine so alarmed John Bolton, then the national security adviser, that he told an aide to alert White House lawyers. \u201cGiuliani\u2019s a hand grenade who\u2019s going to blow everybody up,\u201d an aide quoted him as saying of President Trump\u2019s personal lawyer.