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

May 30, 2025 • 24min
Trump and Rubio vs. International Students. Why?
The Trump administration announced it would "aggressively revoke" student visas for Chinese students who are planning to study in the United States. On Today's Show:Liam Knox, the admissions and enrollment reporter for Inside Higher Ed and author of their Admissions Weekly newsletter, reports on the latest on that plus the dispute between the administration and Harvard over enrolling foreign students.

May 29, 2025 • 21min
Is the SALT Deduction (Always) (Sometimes) (Never) a Good Idea?
On today's show: Andrew Lautz, associate director for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Economic Policy Program, talks about the impact of raising the cap on SALT (state and local tax) deductions—and who benefits.

May 28, 2025 • 20min
Law Prof. Leah Litman Accuses SCOTUS of Running On “No Law, Just Vibes”
Why does one legal analyst say that the current Supreme Court is operating under a doctrine akin to “no law, just vibes?”On Today's Show:Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and a former Supreme Court clerk, co-host of the podcast "Strict Scrutiny" and the author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2025), offers her take on the current Supreme Court, the major decisions coming this term.

May 27, 2025 • 22min
Defunded Health Researcher Tells His Story, Reacts to RFK Children’s Health Diagnosis
New York City's CUNY system recently lost federal funding for more than 70 research grants.On Today's Show:Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and executive director of CUNY’s Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, talks about the funding he recently lost on research related to COVID vaccine uptake, plus comments on the changes coming to how the COVID vaccine is rolled out for the next season.

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.