Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

President Trump has been clear he'd like to dismantle the Education Department.On Today's Show:Dana Goldstein, education reporter at The New York Times and the author of The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession (Anchor, 2015), reports on how Elon Musk and DOGE have started to do that, and how their plans will affect schools and education, and how Trump's pick for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, fits in with the White House's agenda

As part of his aggressive posture on trade policy, President Trump has announced a new 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports.On Today's Show:Monica Gorman, managing director at Crowell Global Advisors who served as special assistant to the president for manufacturing & industrial policy under former President Joe Biden, talks about the White House's broader trade policy.

President Trump begins the fourth week of his second term today. On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political news, including the status of import tariffs and the trade war, the apparent work-stoppage at the Consumer  Financial Protection Bureau, and the photo of Elon Musk sitting behind the Resolute Desk. 

Only a few weeks into President Trump's second term, and there are already legal fights gearing up over several of his new policies.On Today's Show:Stephen Vladeck, professor of federal courts at Georgetown University Law Center, talks about some of the legal challenges to early actions by the Trump administration.

Federal agencies like the CDC, NIH and the FDA had to remove and alter some data from their websites to comply with executive orders issued by President Trump.On Today's Show:Katelyn Jetelina, founder and author of the newsletter "Your Local Epidemiologist," explains why data is "gold," and how these changes may affect our health.

Reporting suggests that Elon Musk has continued to try to reshape several federal government institutions to fit his and President Trump's agenda. On Today's Show:Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, talks about the "vast powers" that President Trump has given to Elon Musk, what he's doing with them and what's underpinning the effort overhaul of the federal bureaucracy.

Democrats are pondering how to posture themselves against President Trump's agenda and the GOP-controlled Congress.On Today's Show:House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn) explains what he is calling for Democrats to do in response to President Trump's moves on federal funding, tariffs and more.  

Much of the recent news cycle has centered on the Trump administration's efforts to offer a buyout to federal workers in exchange for their resignations.On Today's Show:Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today, talks about the news from Washington as the second Trump administration begins its third week.

On today's show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks about the Trump cabinet nominees, including his questioning of RFK, Jr. on Thursday, plus his other work in Washington and New Jersey.

The White House budget office ordered a pause on federal loans and grants, only to issue a reversal days later.On Today's Show:Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with The New York Times, offers legal analysis of the move — and the Trump administration's attempts to expand executive power in general.