Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Today, the Supreme Court ruled on religious freedom and LGBTQ+ discrimination, and struck down Pres. Biden's student loan forgiveness program. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, host of its new podcast Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022) now in paperback, talks about the final opinions on the last day of this Supreme Court term.

The Supreme Court's latest opinion ends affirmative action in college admissions. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, host of its new podcast Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022), discusses.

How has the case against former President Trump related to classified documents changed now that a relevant voice recording has been made public? On Today's Show:Quinta Jurecic, fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, senior editor at Lawfare and contributing writer at The Atlantic, offers legal analysis of the indictment of former President Trump.

Today's opinions from the Supreme Court include one case on “independent state legislatures” and another on what constitutes a “true threat.” On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, host of its new podcast Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal, and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022) now in paperback, talks about today's rulings.

The complexities of US immigration policy mean that messaging around safety and border security plays a very real role in the asylum system's ability to function. On Today's Show:Julia Preston, contributing writer for The Marshall Project, traces the crisis at the southern border to its roots in America's broken asylum system.

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade one year ago tomorrow, bringing an end to federally protected abortion rights. On Today's Show:Alice Miranda Ollstein, health care reporter for POLITICO, talks about the effects of the Dobbs decision on individuals, as well as on electoral politics, one year since it was handed down.

The term "pregnant people," while more accurate and inclusive, has received pushback, claiming that the phrase is overly "woke" and erases women. On Today's Show: For Pride month, Krys Malcolm Belc, writer and author of the memoir The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood (Counterpoint, 2021), talks about his experience and challenges as a non-binary, transmasculine parent, and how parenting and gender intersect.

With President Biden's son and former president Trump both navigating legal troubles, what does it mean for the 2024 election season? On Today's Show:Philip Bump, national columnist for The Washington Post and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America, talks about the latest national political news.

Can Democrats, who are currently in the minority in Congress, push through gun control legislation, despite House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's reluctance to bring it to the floor? On Today's Show:US Rep. Pat Ryan (D, NY-18), talks about Democrats' longshot attempts to pass gun control legislation besides broad opposition from Republicans in the House - and other national political news.

To mark Juneteenth today, a look at the history of the holiday, and what it means for America's story to have two federally recognized Independence Days. On Today's Show:Annette Gordon-Reed, Harvard University professor and the author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family and On Juneteenth (Liveright, 2021), talks about the history of Juneteenth and how it has evolved since becoming a federal holiday.

The PGA announced it would merge with its Saudi-backed rival, LIV golf. On Today's Show:Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), founded by Jamal Khashoggi, talks about the moral and ethical compromises at play in professional golf.

In a 7-2 ruling, the Court dismissed challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act, allowing preferences for Native American parents in adoptions to remain in place. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Type Media Center and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022) now in paperback, talks about today's opinions from the Supreme Court as they work through the remaining cases from this term.

The death of track star Tori Bowie has called attention to persistent racial health disparities in pregnancy and childbirth. On Today's Show:Linda Villarosa, writer at the New York Times Magazine and contributor to the bestselling 1619 Project and the author of Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation (Anchor, 2023), talks about why these disparities endure.

After a blanket of orange smog covered the northeast from wildfires in Canada, how might climate change impact the frequency and intensity of wildfires? On Today's Show:John Vaillant, journalist and author of Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World (Knopf, 2023), looks at the links between climate change and increasing number of wildfires through the lens of a devastating fire at an oil industry hub in Canada in 2016.

Former President Trump removed classified documents from the White House. But the indictment hinges on what he did when he found out he shouldn't have them. On Today's Show:U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman (D, NY-10), who formerly led counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Trump in 2019 and is a former assistant US attorney SDNY, discusses the former president's second indictment, this time on federal charges related to classified documents.

A surprise 5-4 Supreme Court decision means the Voting Rights Act will "live to fight another day," after ruling that Alabama's election map under-counted Black voters. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022), breaks down the latest Supreme Court decision impacting voting rights

Today an official from the US Armed Forces discussed the state of the country's military readiness, and its role in the conflict in Ukraine, and tensions with China. On Today's Show:Christine Wormuth, secretary of the U.S. Army, talks about recruiting and readiness challenges within the army, her professional role in the Defense Department, and the military's role in conflicts around the globe.

In order to reach an agreement to avoid a US government default, negotiations included some measures that could have an impact on the federal government's climate policy. On Today's Show:Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of the global media collaboration Covering Climate Now and environment correspondent for The Nation magazine, offers a look at what the debt ceiling agreement means for key climate measures and how climate-related policy is shaping up as an election issue.

The number of Americans who are part of any organized religion has been dropping for decades, and over the past ten years, dropped by about 11 points. On Today's Show: Ryan Burge, associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, research director for Faith Counts, and the author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress Press, 2021), digs into the patterns around the country and explains how the trend might affect presidential politics in 2024 and beyond.

It's been one month since the Writers' Guild Of America's strike began. On Today's Show:Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, vice president of film/television/streaming for Writers Guild of America East, talks about the strike, how it's affecting productions and more related news.

Happy Pride Month! We kick off our conversations about LGBTQIA+ lives by exploring how to think about how masculinity and femininity can instill a feeling of "gender euphoria." On Today's Show:Tuck Woodstock, journalist, educator and host of the Gender Reveal podcast, and Imara Jones, journalist, and founder and creator of Translash Media, and callers that identify as transgender shed light on what it's like to live as a trans person, what gives them gender euphoria, and answer most commonly asked questions about being trans.

Last May, a gunman opened fire in an elementary school in Uvalde, TX. A year later, we look at how the community has changed, and how the nation's thinking on gun control has evolved. On Today's Show:Maria Hinojosa, founder of Futuro Media and president of Futuro Investigates, anchor and executive producer of Latino USA, and the author of the Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America (Simon and Schuster, 2020), examines the tragedy at Robb Elementary School and where we go from here.

Where does the US stand on the international stage now, when it comes to current conflicts as in Ukraine, and potential conflicts, as with China's and Taiwan? On Today's Show:Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), shares his analysis of why it's a good thing that tensions between the U.S. and China are apparently thawing somewhat, plus the latest news on Russia's war in Ukraine.

We talk about the systemic issues that lead to right wing radicalization, and about some of the personal factors that contributed to an influential insurrectionist's life trajectory. On Today's Show:Anna Sale, creator and host of the WNYC podcast Death, Sex & Money, and Micah Loewinger, correspondent for WNYC's On the Media, discuss their interview with the ex-wife of Oath Keepers founder, Stewart Rhodes, who was just sentenced to 18 years in prison in his seditious conspiracy case.

The US government's 'debt ceiling' negotiations continue, but the complexities of the national debt and the global economy obfuscate what the real impact might be if we surpass it. On Today's Show:Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter for The Washington Post, explains what will actually happen in the U.S. if the government hits the debt ceiling, and shares his analysis of how the negotiations to prevent that are going.

A number of whales have recently beached themselves on NY and NJ's shorelines. On Today's Show:Andy Read, professor of marine biology and the director of the Duke University Marine Laboratory, talks about why so many beached whales are turning up on the New York and New Jersey coastlines, and why claims from some groups that surveying for wind farms is causing the deaths are untrue.

With a deadline looming, Congress and President Biden appear to remain at a stalemate when it comes to extending the US's debt ceiling. On Today's Show:Catie Edmondson, congressional correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the "tricky politics" of the negotiations, where Republicans are holding out for steep spending cuts and changes to social safety net programs in exchange for raising the limit, which some Democrats won't accept.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a slate of bills this week targeting what teachers can—or cannot—teach in school. On today's show: Sommer Brugal, K-12 education reporter for the Miami Herald, reports on the new legislation—and the investigation of a Florida teacher who showed her class a Disney film that features two gay characters.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas knows that often, his legal philosophies put him at odds with wide swaths of Black political thought. On Today's Show:Julia Longoria, host of WNYC's More Perfect, talks about the new season of More Perfect, which examines history to help us understand how the Supreme Court of today came to be, including this week's episode on Clarence Thomas.

In a new memoir, the longtime host of NPR's daily news show talks about journalism, public radio and work-life balance. On Today's Show:Mary Louise Kelly, a host of NPR's All Things Considered discusses her new book It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs (Henry Holt and Co., 2023), about the trade-offs between work and family.

One of entertainment's celebrated political satirists talks about what it means to poke fun at today's serious news. On Today's Show:Comedian and "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr. talks about hosting the White House Correspondents' Dinner, his family connection to journalism and working on "The Daily Show."

As border states continue to send asylum-seekers to urban metro-areas, NYC and its suburbs are at odds about how to address the needs of these newcomers. On Today's Show:Murad Awawdeh, executive director at the New York Immigration Coalition, discusses how the city is responding to migrants making their way here, the dispute with the northern suburbs over housing them and what NYIC believes can be done by both federal and local governments to handle the new arrivals.

The Manhattan D.A. is charging Daniel Penny with manslaughter in the second degree for the chokehold killing of Jordan Neely on the subway earlier this month. On Today's Show:Catherine Christian, former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, explains the legal reasoning behind the charge and why it took as long as it did.

A legal analyst unpacks the outcome of E. Jean Carroll's case against former President Trump. On Today's Show:Jane Manning, director, Women's Equal Justice Project and former sex crimes prosecutor, talks about the verdict, and why the jury found the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation but not rape.

A task force in California that had been exploring possibilities for racial justice reparations recently released its recommendations. On Today's Show:Emmanuel Felton, race and ethnicity reporter on the America desk at The Washington Post, breaks down the latest on a new bill that aims to provide reparations for Black residents of California.

As COVID-era border restrictions are set to expire, a look at what it means for asylum seekers, immigration rhetoric in the US, and the politics on both sides of the border. On Today's Show:Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News immigration reporter, talks about the surge of migrants border officials are expecting, and other ways the end of Title 42 might affect immigration patterns and our civic discourse.

A local journalist weighs in on what the law says about the subway killing of Jordan Neely by a fellow rider. On Today's Show:Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, offers analysis of the legal aspects of Jordan Neely's killing.

As originally designed, the number of seats in the House of Representatives is supposed to grow along with the US population. Why hasn't it, and what are the consequences for democracy? On Today's Show:Danielle Allen, Washington Post contributing columnist, a political theorist at Harvard University, where she is James Bryant Conant University Professor and director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics and the author of Justice by Means of Democracy (University of Chicago Press, 2023), proposes expanding the number of members of the House of Representatives, currently capped at 435.

A legal expert's take on the social climate that led to one subway rider fatally strangling another in the midst of a mental health episode, and other legal headlines. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, and the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2022), discusses the death of Jordan Neely, and discusses the responses from the legal system and the public. Plus, his analysis of E. Jean Carroll's rape suit against Donald Trump, and the news (which broke during the live show) that four of the five Proud Boys defendants charged with 'seditious conspiracy' have been convicted.

An update on the trial of several Proud Boy leaders who have been charged with 'seditious conspiracy' over their roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection. On Today's Show:Marcy Wheeler, independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties for her site, Empty Wheel, talks about the latest from the trial, and why this attempt at accountability is different from the previous ones that focused on participants.

After Lorenzo Charles was deported in 2003, he fought to overturn his deportation, and won, allowing him to return to his life in Brooklyn. On Today's Show:Matt Katz, WNYC Public Safety correspondent, and Lindsay Nash, associate professor of law and co-director of the Immigration Justice Clinic at Cardozo Law School, discuss Charles's case, what it means for other deportees, and for the US's immigration policy.

After the gathering of the White House Press Corps for its annual, jovial dinner party, we look at some of the weekend's political news, and some of the event's funnier moments. On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021) and a forthcoming biography of Barbara Walters, rounds up the latest news from Washington, including the House debt ceiling bill, plus news from Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner.

While former President Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis seem to be the early front-runners for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, several others have announced their candidacies, or are "exploring" the option. On Today's Show: Amanda Carpenter, columnist at The Bulwark and the author of Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us (Broadside Books, 2018), reviews the ideas animating the campaigns of Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Earlier this week President Biden announced he's officially running in 2024. Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent at New York Magazine and author of The Long Alliance: The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), talks about how Biden may campaign, specifically taking into consideration the issue of his age.

A case in court this week that alleges that former President Trump sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll, who was only able to file because of the Adult Survivors Act. On Today's Show:Jane Manning, director of the Women's Equal Justice Project and former sex crimes prosecutor, offers legal analysis of the case, and the New York's Adult Survivors Act -- which opened up a one-year "lookback" window for adult survivors of sexual assault to file civil lawsuits.

A look at the Monday morning departures of two influential cable news personalities, and about Biden's official 2024 re-election campaign announcement. On Today's Show:Joan Walsh, The Nation's national affairs correspondent, talks about the latest national political news, including President Biden's announcement he'll run again, former President Trump's civil rape trial that's starting in New York and the churn in cable media as both Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon are out at Fox and CNN, respectively.

Many school districts across the country choose to represent themselves using mascots that dehumanize native cultures and derive pride from harmful stereotypes about them. On Today's Show:John Kane, Mohawk activist, member of the New York State Indigenous Mascot Advisory Council, and host of the shows Let's Talk Native and Resistance Radio with John Kane, discusses the New York State Board of Regents decision to ban school team names and mascots that reference indigenous people. Update: Officials from the New York State Education Department reached out after hearing the segment and shared the information below: "Additional guidance from the Department is forthcoming but that guidance will mirror the language in the regulation. Each district will need to review the history and current potential of its team name, mascot, or imagery on a case-by-case basis. The Department can provide assistance to any school or district that have questions. The Department’s position is that any team names, logos, or mascots that contain vestiges of prohibited team names, logos, or mascots will not be considered acceptable."

After two separate shootings of young people, a Black man in Missouri and a white woman in New York, we explore 'stand your ground' laws, media fearmongering and race. On Today's Show:Imani Perry, professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the author of books including South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation (Ecco, 2022) and Breathe: A Letter to My Sons (Beacon, 2019), reflects on the shootings of Ralph Yarl and Kaylin Gillis. Yarl, a Black teenager, was shot in the head and arm after ringing the doorbell of a white homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri. Gillis, a white 20-year-old, was killed after turning into the wrong driveway in Hebron, New York.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) discusses the latest from Congress on the fiscal cliff, the farm bill, mifepristone and more.

After Dominion's settlement over Fox News's false claims in its coverage of the 2020 election and the company's voting machines, we look at the limits of a free press. On Today's Show:Floyd Abrams, first amendment lawyer, senior counsel at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, author of The Soul of the First Amendment (Yale University Press, 2017), discusses the historic settlement ($785 million) Fox News has reached with Dominion Voting Systems and its first amendment implications.