Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

President Trump is making moves to deploy national guard troops to cities like Chicago and Portland, OR. On Today's Show:Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, talks about how states are reacting and why a federal judge keeps blocking the plan for Portland.

As the federal government shutdown continues, how is the White House using it for political leverage?On Today's Show:Russell Berman, a staff writer at The Atlantic talks shares the latest shutdown news. Note: This conversation was recorded on Friday morning about a developing story. 

It's the second day of the latest federal government shutdown over funding.On Today's Show:Politico congressional reporter Nicholas Wu talks about the latest on the impasse, who is getting blamed for the shutdown, and what it will take to end it.

Universities have had to contend with a climate of protest, and pressure from the Trump administration to crack down on it. On Today's Show:Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton University and the author of Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right (Hachette, 2025), talks about issues of free speech and campus politics at Princeton, and the university's relationship with the Trump administration.  

As Artificial Intelligence technology develops, and as nations vie for technical dominance, the UN has been considering its role. On Today's Show:Vilas Dhar, president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Body on AI, talks about the two new institutions created by the United Nations to study and discuss the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence, and his goals for governing this emerging technology so that it serves the public good.

Learning institutions, from public schools to universities, have been the site of several political fights in recent times. On Today's Show:Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy (Thesis, 2025), talks about her new book and explains why she says education protects democracy. 

The prospect of a government shutdown is growing as Democrats are threatening to not help Republicans on the Hill pass a spending bill by the September 30 deadline. On Today's Show: Deirdre Walsh, congressional correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk, talks about the politics of the potential shutdown and related news from Congress.

Jimmy Kimmel's brief suspension and, as of yesterday evening, illustrates some of the thornier challenges around the ideal of free speech.On Today's Show:Greg Lukianoff, attorney, president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the author of several books on free speech, offers his thoughts on how he says both the political left and right weaponize crackdowns on speech, and why he thinks that is a problem for everyone's rights. 

After President Trump and his public health chief raised concerns about the use of acetaminophen while pregnant, we look at what the science has to say.On Today's Show:Chelsea Cirruzzo, Washington correspondent for STAT News, talks about the results of last week's meeting of the federal advisory committee on vaccines and other public health news. 

On today's episode, Richard Gowan, Director of UN and Multilateral Diplomacy at the International Crisis Group, shares insights on what to expect at the UN General Assembly, including President Trump's Tuesday address, the war in Gaza and the role of the United Nations worldwide.