DiscoverBrian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast
Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast
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Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Author: WNYC Studios

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Daily thoughtful conversation about the latest news and politics.
1408 Episodes
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Robinson Meyer, founding executive editor of Heatmap, talks about how in the ten years since the Paris Agreement, as he says the "climate story is the China story" now. Plus, Jael Holzman, senior reporter at Heatmap, reports on how the Republican Party has turned fully against renewable energy sources, including offshore wind projects. 
Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi is currently awaiting a court ruling on the Trump administration's attempt to deport him.On Today's Show: Mahdawi, co-founder of the Columbia Palestinian Student Union and former president of the Columbia University Buddhist Association, and his attorney, Nate Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, talk about his studies, the state of the pro-Palestinian movement and the prospects of a peaceful solution in the region and worldwide.
Politics doesn't stop for the holidays. Hear about the latest headlines from D.C. ahead of the pre-Christmas weekend. On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW; writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic talks about the national political news of the week, including Vanity Fair's extensive piece about President Trump's closest aides, the administration's blockade on Venezuela and more.
Recently, Nancy Pelosi sat down for an interview with her biographer, veteran journalist Susan Page, ahead of the upcoming 2026 congressional term.On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of the forthcoming book The Queen and Her Presidents (Harper/Collins April 2026), talks about the latest national political news, including President Trump's primetime address, the ongoing fight over ACA subsidies, and Nancy Pelosi's assessment of congressional politics, heading into her final term before she's planning to retire. 
With the reported rise in anti-Semitic speech and the recent shooting at a Hanukah celebration in Australia, our guest explores the contours of prejudiced mindsets against Jews.On Today's Show:Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of its newsletter Deep Shtetl, about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion, offers analysis of anecdotal and survey data that show a generational divide in antisemitism.
A deadline approaches to deal with healthcare costs and Obamacare subsidies. On Today's Show:Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, discusses the latest over the battle in Congress over the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
On Today's Show:Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation and the author of The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last (Crown Currency, 2025), talks about how Wikipedia was able to rely on the "wisdom of the crowd" even as distrust climbed in the larger culture.
The conservative Supreme Court majority seems poised to allow President Trump to fire the top official on the Federal Trade Commission, expanding presidential power. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine and host of the podcast, Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal, and author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, 2025), discusses this and other legal news.
Paramount and Netflix are vying to buy up parts of Warner Bros. Discovery.On Today's Show:Rohan Goswami, business reporter at Semafor and Katie Campione, senior TV & labor reporter at Deadline, discuss the recent merger talks, including the politics at play, and what it means for consumers.
According to DHS, almost three-quarters of people detained by ICE since October do not have any criminal convictions.On Today's Show:David Bier, director of immigration studies and the Selz Foundation chair in immigration policy at the Cato Institute, explains the data, and claims from the Trump Administration that they are prioritizing detaining people with violent criminal histories.
Some recent health headlines surround the federal government's changes to SNAP benefit programs, vaccine guidance for infants and others, and Obamacare.On Today's Show:Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast, and Jude Joffe-Block, reporter at NPR, discuss the latest in health-related news.
An education advocate, who formerly supported school vouchers and charter schools, is now speaking in support of public education.On Today's Show:Diane Ravitch, education historian, former research professor of education at New York University, blogger at dianeravitch.net and author of the recent book An Education: How I Changed My Mind About Schools and Almost Everything Else (Columbia University Press, 2025), talks about the changes that led her to become a promoter of public schools.
Senator Mark Kelly appeared in a video alongside other veterans now serving in Congress, telling service members, “Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders.” The Pentagon has since opened an investigation and even raised the possibility of recalling him to active duty for potential discipline. On Today's Show:Zachary Cohen, senior reporter on the national security beat for CNN, talks about what Kelly said, why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the probe, and how this all fits into other Pentagon headlines this week, including reports of U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats.
On World AIDS Day, a look at the impact of foreign aid cuts on HIV prevention programs, particularly in South Africa.On Today's Show:Pratik Pawar, Future Perfect fellow at Vox, talks about a new HIV prevention drug the U.S. is making available worldwide, except to South Africa, the country with the most people living with HIV.
President Trump and his allies are framing the kidnappings and other attacks in Nigeria as Islamic attacks on Christians, and even threatening military actionOn Today's Show:Emmanuel Akinwotu, international correspondent for NPR, talks about the situation, including how extremist groups are killing people of all faiths in the country, not just Christians.  
On points where he disagrees with the scientific concensus, what makes RFK. Jr so sure he's right?On Today's Show:Michael Scherer, staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about his Atlantic cover story on HHS Secretary RFK, Jr., and other news. 
After a busy weekend for national political headlines, a local congressional leader weighs in.On Today's Show:House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY8) offers his take on how the meeting between President Trump and Mayor-elect Mamdani went, and more national political news.
President Trump and NYC's Mayor-elect Mamdani are meeting in DC today after many traded barbs and concerns over how the two very different administrations will work with, or against, each other.On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the national political news of the week.
For our monthly 'Call Your Senator' series, NJ listeners asked about their healthcare prices, and other national issues.On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey, including the debate over ACA subsidies, the Gateway tunnel funding, and the Epstein files. 
President Trump has reportedly reversed course on the Epstein investigation over the weekend, now urging his party to baack a vote to release a large tranche of emails and other documents. On Today's Show:Eleanor Mueller, congress reporter at Semafor, talks about the latest national political news from Congress, including the shutdown winners and losers, the upcoming vote in the House on the Epstein files and more.
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Comments (23)

Midnight Rambler

because Dems love voter fraud

May 12th
Reply

Nicole Smith

I am very confused. why did we just listen to him say the days and dates?

Apr 3rd
Reply

Mike Peterkin

seems to me that if they weren't a danger to anyone, then they should have never been incarcerated in the first place.

Mar 24th
Reply

daisy

we need to support our health care workers who have children and other family responsibilities

Mar 14th
Reply

nme

trump's Russian playbook

Feb 13th
Reply

Nicole Smith

3 minutes in and I am very confused.....

Jan 28th
Reply (1)

Nonya Bizness

i call false equivalency. the dems level of desire for witnesses in the clinton impeachment versus the trump impeachment are apples and oranges, and not, as you say, a product of political expediency. the clinton impeachment senate had special prosecutor starr's ~massive~ investigation to work from, which included an enormous number of depositions from any and all witnesses, along with infamous reams of documents. in the trump case, the house was forced to do the investigation on their own, and were denied access to almost every single document and witness. so obviously, witnesses are a magnitude more essential now than before.

Jan 19th
Reply (1)

nme

I'm thinking that when trump says to his sycophants that he needs a big tough guy event that segways into his rallies , a kickoff to his 2020 campaign, they think this Iranian general is the ticket. they could blow him up, surgically, with no collateral damage, and insto presto trump's next political ad shoots itself. how shortsighted...this one act has taken a divided Iran and unified them under 1 bloody ideology of America's destruction. way to go trump.

Jan 6th
Reply

Elizabeth Burns

Jesus of Nazareth was accused of blasphemy, not treason.

Dec 30th
Reply

Roy Chambers

yes

Dec 29th
Reply

Dm

This Is true Xmas cheer! “When this comes out...Ukraine will look like spilt milk“ Michael Moore.

Dec 23rd
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daisy

she sounds rational but I don't trust it

Dec 22nd
Reply

Camilo r corrales

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dec 14th
Reply

daisy

who knows what the truth is but this is seriously the craziest saga with really bad actors who keep acting bad

Dec 12th
Reply (1)

Mark H.

Ok...so does this mean Michael Isikoff is saying "nevermind" to his own book? Since apparently nothing in the Steele dossier is corroborated?

Dec 10th
Reply

jersey2777

just found this show and I must say that in the midst of severe division and ugliness that pervades us currently, this show presented a constitutional perspective that really adds to this conversation of impeachment. thanks and great work.

Nov 29th
Reply

Kevin Moore

Hilarious and expected that you only interview liberals. Can you get anymore biased??? #FakeNews #Trump2020 #AMERICAFirst #BuildTheWall #EndLiberalism

Nov 2nd
Reply (1)

Elizabeth Burns

Just say something for something else. Translate the Latin & have done with it.

Oct 22nd
Reply (1)