Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after participating in protests near Columbia University, was recently released on bond after a year in at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas. On Today's Show: She discusses what she endured in the detention facility under conditions that she describes as "horrific," joined by her attorney Sarah Sherman-Stokes, a clinical associate professor at Boston University School of Law.

President Donald Trump spoke to the nation about the war in Iran on Wednesday evening. He said that the war was nearing completion and threatened to bomb Iran "back to the stone ages." On today's show: Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) reacts to those remarks.

On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, writer for MSNOW and contributing writer to The Atlantic, talks about the latest developments in national politics, including President Donald Trump's executive order attempting to change rules for mail-in voting.

As Passover begins, a look at the divergent views on Israel from within Jewish American communities and families. On Today's Show:Eyal Press, contributing writer to The New Yorker, shares his reporting on how disagreements over Israel, Gaza and Zionism itself are dividing synagogues, Jewish families and communities across America.

With all the national and international politics at play, an influential local senator shares his thoughts and takes calls from constituents on the issues. On Today's Show: U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, author of Stand (St. Martin’s Press, 2026) weaves history, personal stories and current politics into a defense of principles as a way of facing crises.

The Senate voted overnight to fund key parts of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA. On Today's Show:Evan McMorris-Santoro, national politics reporter at NOTUS and co-author of the NOTUS daily newsletter, and Mary Clare Jalonick, congressional reporter for The Associated Press and the author of Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th (PublicAffairs, 2026), talk about what has to happen next to end the crisis at airports, the status of the SAVE Act and more.

Ceasefire negotiations over the war in Iran continue, and so do reports of possible escalation. On Today's Show:Kian Tajbakhsh, Iranian-American scholar, visiting professor of international relations at New York University, fellow of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University and former political prisoner, and William Christou, Middle East reporter for The Guardian, break down the latest on U.S.-Iran negotiation efforts, and offers analysis and insight into the state of the war.

After Tuesday's oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee on Tuesday, the Supreme Court appears likely to overhaul the way many states count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day but are postmarked before the deadline. On Today's Show:Carrie Levine, editor-in-chief of Votebeat, talks about the impact of that change.

Donald Trump's relationship with the rule of law, and with various investigative bodies has always been tense, at best. On Today's Show:Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, co-host of the podcast Main Justice and and the co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), draws on his experience working with Robert Mueller to reflect on his legacy after his death this past weekend at age 81, and discusses President Trump's recent actions through a legal lens.

Oil prices jumped after overnight attacks on energy facilities in Iran and Qatar. On Today's Show:John Heilemann, chief political columnist at Puck and host of the podcast "Impolitic with John Heilemann, " and senior national affairs analyst for MS NOW, talks about the latest developments in the war in Iran and the Trump-Netanyahu relationship.

On Today's Show:Daniel Immerwahr, historian, contributing writer at The New Yorker, the Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University and the author of How to Hide an Empire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019), offers historical context on the war in Iran and Trump's overall foreign policy.

With leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security, how have conditions changed for migrants in detention centers? On Today's Show:Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (Penguin Press, 2024), talks about the scale of the U.S. immigrant detention program, health and safety issues and expansion plans, following the firing of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem.

As the war in Iran enters its third week, how have structural changes at the Pentagon impacted the U.S. military apparatus? On Today's Show:Dan Lamothe, U.S. military and Pentagon reporter at The Washington Post, shares his reporting on the latest U.S. military actions in Iran, especially what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz, and more.

With President Trump's agenda including massive priorities like the SAVE act, and the war in Iran, a look at recent news from Congress. On Today's Show:Burgess Everett, congressional bureau chief for Semafor, talks about the latest news out of Congress this week, including a bipartisan housing bill that passed the Senate, the president's push for the SAVE Act and more.

On Today's Show: David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of The Atlantic daily newsletter, plus author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), offers analysis of how President Trump is changing the way he describes the status of the war with Iran, and why his public statements about it have shifted around so dramatically. Plus, Mohammed Sergie, editor of Semafor Gulf, talks about how the war has affected the Gulf states.

The war in Iran has economic consequences in terms of the region's oil exports. But how could prediction markets change the picture? On Today's Show: John Cassidy, staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI (Macmillan, 2025), talks about his recent story, "How to Prevent Insider Trading on Trump’s Wars" and other news related to the economic repercussions of the Iran war.

As the war in Iran and across the region continues, a renowned global geopolitics analyst weighs in. On Today's Show:Christiane Amanpour, chief international anchor and host of CNN's "Amanpour" and PBS' "Amanpour & Company," talks about the recent social and political history of Iran, and the latest news on the war with Iran.

Prior to today's war in Iran, the geopolitically powerful nation has been on the radar of certain hawkish US lawmakers. On Today's Show:Sabrina Siddiqui, national politics reporter at The Wall Street Journal, talks about the latest news from Washington, especially related to the war with Iran.

The war in Iran could have global implications on trade, including the critical energy market, which draws much of its inventory from Iranian oil. On Today's Show:Lydia DePillis, New York Times reporter covering the American economy, talks about how the war with Iran could affect the economy at home, as issues with oil prices, supply chains and the massive cost of the war begin to pile up.

The Pentagon is reconsidering its relationship with artificial intelligence company Anthropic, after the company has stated it doesn’t want its technology used in autonomous weapons or government surveillance, and explains the way that AI is reshaping national defense. On Today's Show:Steven Levy, editor at large for Wired, breaks down the latest reporting on this story.

The primaries in Texas and North Carolina illuminate some political factors that could be at play in the midterms this November. On Today's Show:Lisa Lerer, national political correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the primary results and issues at play.

Active duty veteran and now member of the House Armed Services committee talks about the parallels between Trump's recent actions against Iran, and the circumstances that led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. On Today's Show: Rep. Pat Ryan, U.S. Representative (D, NY-18), offers his take on the conflict, the upcoming vote in the House on war powers and more.

The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leaves many questions unanswered about the future of Iran and the region. On Today's Show:Robin Wright, contributing writer and columnist for The New Yorker, talks about what might come next for Iran after its Supreme Leader was killed in an Israeli air strike, as the war continues to widen and the country remains divided politically.

With President Trump's recent moves to federalize certain election regulations, what do we mean by 'voting rights' and 'election integrity?' On Today's Show:Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, historian and author of Autocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), offers her analysis of how President Trump and his administration are seeking to control elections, as well as science and culture, and why.

Recent changes at the Washington Post's newsroom and opinion section point a spotlight at the relationship between owner Jeff Bezos and President Trump. On Today's Show:Ruth Marcus, a contributor to The New Yorker and a former columnist for the Washington Post and the author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019), comments on national politics and the state of journalism.