
Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast
Daily thoughtful conversation about the latest news and politics.
Latest episodes

May 23, 2025 • 18min
The Future Of The ERA After 100 Years
Today, we revisit a conversation about the Equal Rights Amendment, and its current status.On Today's Show:Julie Suk, a law professor at Fordham University and the author of We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment (Skyhorse Publishing, 2020), reviews the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, from its introduction by Alice Paul in 1923 through its current disputed status, following passage by a 38th state and President Biden's declaration that it's the "law of the land."

May 22, 2025 • 18min
Sen. Gillibrand on the House’s Tax and Safety Net Cuts
This morning, the House passed a spending bill after many long late nights of negotiations. Now it moves on to the Senate.On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) talks about her work in Washington, and her view of the Trump and GOP budget proposal.

May 21, 2025 • 18min
After the Budget All-Nighter
As President Trump attempts to get the House's new budget bill to pass, lawmakers met overnight to pursue amendments that could lead to compromise. On Today's Show:Marianna Sotomayor, congressional reporter for The Washington Post, where she covers lawmakers and debates on Capitol Hill, offers commentary on the bill's status.

May 20, 2025 • 18min
Dem Rep. Pallone On The Specific Ways Medicaid Would Be Cut
On Sunday, House Republicans released their package of proposals that would cut federal spending on Medicaid and Obamacare.On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ6), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, discusses what's in the bill, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says would cause 8.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance.

May 19, 2025 • 22min
Emily Bazelon on Rule of Law vs. Autocracy Developments at SCOTUS
We unpack SCOTUS's decision to continue to prohibit the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members.On Today's Show:Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, co-host of Slate's "Political Gabfest" podcast, Truman Capote fellow for creative writing and law at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration (Random House, 2019), offers legal analysis on how the courts are limiting executive power (or not).

May 16, 2025 • 16min
Trump Cuts Come for Arts Organizations Big and Small
Trump's administration has aimed to pare back federal funding to various parts of civic society.On Today's Show:Brian Boucher, contributor for Artnet News and journalist covering the New York art world, talks about how arts organizations are reacting to the Trump administration starting to cut their grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

May 15, 2025 • 9min
WNYC President LaFontaine Oliver On The Campaign To Defund Public Broadcasting
The federal government is aiming to take steps to reduce public funding to public media sources through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.On Today's Show:LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, talks about the executive order President Trump signed regarding federal funding for public media and what comes next for the NYPR and the broader system.

May 14, 2025 • 19min
Senator Chris Murphy On How To Save Democracy
A Democratic senator outlines his critiques of the Trump administration, and outlines his prescription for protecting the guardrails of democracy.On Today's Show:Chris Murphy, U.S. Senator (D-CT), author ofThe Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy (Random House, 2020) talks about his critique of DHS and the effect of Trump administration policies in Connecticut.

May 13, 2025 • 21min
Dems For NJ Guv Debate After Baraka Arrest at ICE Facility
At a recent primary event for Democrats hoping to be NJ's next Governor, candidates discussed how they are thinking about a relationship with President Trump's administration. On Today's Show:Michael Hill, WNYC Morning Edition host and Briana Vannozzi, anchor for "NJ Spotlight News," recap and offer analysis of a conversation between New Jersey's Democratic candidates for governor.

May 12, 2025 • 20min
Supreme Court Justices Are Speaking Up
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson has made comments characterizing the Trump administration's behavior toward the legal profession as "threats and harassment."On Today's Show:Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law, previews the end of the Supreme Court term, and talks about the arrest of Newark NJ's mayor Ras Baraka.