The Briefing with Michael Waldman

The Trump administration has been leading an unprecedented campaign to undermine Americans’ right to vote. Luckily, his legislative attempts and executive orders have been halted by Congress and the courts. But will this matter if confusion encourages voters to sit out the midterms?This week, Michael is joined by Brennan Center experts to discuss the current state of voting rights and how to protect them, outlined in our newest report: ​​Eight Solutions to Protect Voting Rights and Improve Representation.Our proposals include banning partisan gerrymandering, expanding the House of Representatives, and ensuring that the popular vote determines the presidency. As always, we encourage you to make a plan to vote! Recorded on September 14, 2026. The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

Are we a country based on ideals, on the American creed set out in our founding documents? Or are we a nation of blood and soil, as Vice President JD Vance has argued? Both these strains run throughout American history. Those of us on the side of equality and inclusion have much to learn from those who have come before. This week we’re joined by Ben Rhodes to discuss his new book, All We Say, in which he compiles 15 speeches that articulate various sides of these debates over American identity. Rhodes is a former speechwriter for President Obama and the current co-host of Pod Save the World. Recorded on August 17, 2026. The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

This week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on Donald Trump’s executive order on mail voting. Headlines suggested that the justices had given Trump a green light. What did the Supreme Court actually do? And what does this mean for voters?  In this urgent episode of The Briefing, Michael Waldman clears away the confusion, as well as explains the Court’s action and what comes next. He says, “I’m annoyed, but not freaked out. The Court’s ruling was a procedural one, with a great deal of legal back and forth to come. The executive order is still illegal and still unconstitutional. The bottom line: For voters, so far, nothing has changed – and is unlikely to before Election Day.”  Recorded on August 25, 2026. The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

Does Congress need reform? To many, it's weaker and more hollowed out than ever. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Brennan Center expert Maya Kornberg has extensively researched the institution’s complexities and created a list of solutions that could make it stronger and more productive at responding to the needs of the American people.We discuss her proposed solutions and debate reform with Rep. Tom Malinowski, a former lawmaker. Read our report, Eight Solutions to Unstick Congress. Recorded on August 11, 2026.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

We’re back! After a summer hiatus, the podcast returns to discuss a major new study by the Brennan Center on how artificial intelligence can affect the upcoming election. A team of technology experts looked at how popular chatbots responded to prompts related to election conspiracy theories. We found good news and bad news. Chatbots often pushed back against false information, but they were also skilled at creating false images and disinformation. Listen as the lead authors discuss their findings, and read the report yourself here: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/does-ai-fight-or-fuel-election-disinformation Recorded on August 11, 2026. The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.