

Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast
WNYC Studios
Daily thoughtful conversation about the latest news and politics.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 13, 2024 • 21min
A Presidential Polling Update, And SCOTUS's Mifepristone Decision
During today's live show, news broke that the Supreme Court upheld the FDA's approval of mifepristone, a medical abortion drug.On Today's Show:Listeners reflect on the news, and Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of "The Campaign Moment" newsletter for The Washington Post, shares his analysis, and discusses the latest primary results and what they might mean for November's races, and other national politics news.

Jun 12, 2024 • 21min
The Israel/Hamas War As A NY Democratic Primary Issue
The conflict Gaza has created divisions within the Democratic party over human rights, and support for Israel.On Today's Show:George Latimer, Westchester County Executive challenging U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D, NY 16) in the New York State's June 25th primary, talks about his primary campaign and what he thinks the U.S.'s approach to this global conflict should look like.

Jun 11, 2024 • 24min
George Packer on Phoenix as a Bellweather For Us All
What makes a particular city in Arizona a good indicator of the future of both American democracy, as well as the climate crisis?On Today's Show:George Packer, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021), reports on Phoenix as a test of the U.S.'s ability to respond to climate change, and other issues facing the nation?

Jun 10, 2024 • 22min
Defending the Influx of Migrants
Last week, President Biden issued an executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border when crossings surge.On today's show:Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), explains his opposition to the executive order and argues that the U.S. has historically resettled large numbers of asylum-seekers and needs additional pathways to legal immigration.

Jun 7, 2024 • 21min
Tracie McMillan on Her Life’s “White Bonus”
A new book explores attempts to put a price on whiteness, based on explorations of generational wealth and experience.On Today's Show:Tracie McMillan, journalist, former managing editor of City Limits and the author of The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America (McMillan, 2024), traces the financial impact of historical benefits not afforded Black Americans on her own family and that of four others.

Jun 6, 2024 • 23min
On D-Day, Europe is Freaking Out About a Second Trump Term
European officials are reportedly convinced that former president Trump Trump is going to win the election in November.On Today's Show:McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Romney: A Reckoning (Simon & Schuster, 2023), shares his reporting, and why some foreign leaders are increasingly alarmed at the prospect.

Jun 5, 2024 • 21min
Biden's Political Calculations On The Border, Cease Fire And More
President Biden's executive action on the southern border, his son's trial and the latest on the role of the U.S. in cease fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about the latest national political news

Jun 4, 2024 • 23min
Progressives Aim to Expand Rights Through States
After Dobbs and other Supreme Court decisions that restrict certain rights at the federal level, are there strategies for progressives to codify those rights at the state level?On Today's Show:Eyal Press, contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America (Macmillan, 2021), talks about renewed efforts to focus on the rights found in individual state constitutions.

Jun 3, 2024 • 22min
Trump v. Biden: Trials & TikTok
Both parties try to maximize the political advantage of Donald Trump's guilty verdicts in the Manhattan trial, as jury selection starts in the Hunter Biden case in federal court. On Today's Show:Jill Colvin, national political reporter for the Associated Press, talks about the political impact of the Trump verdict on the presidential campaign, the start of the Hunter Biden trial, and the campaigns' embrace of TikTok.

May 31, 2024 • 38min
Andrea Bernstein on Covering The Trump Trial and What Comes Next
Yesterday afternoon, former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. On Today's Show:Andrea Bernstein, journalist reporting on Trump legal matters for NPR, host of many podcasts including "Will be Wild" and "Trump, Inc." and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), reports on the guilty verdict for President Trump from her vantage point from the courtroom, and as a longtime reporter on the former president and his business dealings.