Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

In honor of Juneteenth yesterday, we present a conversation about teaching children the history of race in America, and raising them to be anti-racist. On Today's Show:Ibram X. Kendi, professor in the Humanities and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research and the author of How to Raise an Antiracist (One World, 2022) talks about his new book offering guidance to parents and caregivers.

The Jan. 6 committee laid out their argument yesterday, that Trump pressured his vice president to overturn the election, which he was not legally empowered to do. On Today's Show:Ilya Marritz is co-host of the podcast "Will Be Wild," and covers Trump legal matters for NPR. He joined to recap what the committee presented and what it means.

How much should the recall of San Francisco's progressive district attorney be seen as a bellwether for progressivism around the country? On Today's Show:John Pfaff, professor at the Fordham University School of Law, shares his analysis of what the recall of San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin means for progressive prosecutors.

Amid discourse about whether gender affirming care should be available to kids who identify as trans, we wanted to hear what trans health advocacy organizations are actually advocating for. On Today's Show:The World Professional Transgender Health Association is releasing new standards of care for the first time in a decade. 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), and Scott Leibowitz, child and adolescent psychiatrist and co-lead on the adolescent chapter for the Standards of Care from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), discuss how the medical community is split on the best treatment for transgender teenagers, and how politics has complicated the situation for doctors, families and transgender Americans.

We dive a little bit deeper on some of the testimony presented at yesterday's Jan. 6 hearing in Congress. On Today's Show:Andrea Bernstein, investigative journalist, "Will Be Wild" podcast co-host and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power (W.W. Norton and Co, 2020), recaps the second day of hearings held by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

This morning, Congress held the second session of open hearings in an investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. On Today's Show:Quinta Jurecic, a fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and a senior editor at Lawfare, discusses the evidence presented by the committee, including testimony from former Attorney General William Barr, an elections expert for FOX News, senior Trump campaign officials, and more, about the 'Big Lie' that the former president used to attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

When anti-firearm activists call for "common sense" gun reform, what do they mean? And what measures does Congress consider 'common sense'? On Today's Show:Jennifer Mascia, news writer and a founding staffer at The Trace, joins to discuss what sets assault rifles apart from other guns and the latest on gun control negotiations in Congress.

What does the US Border Patrol have to do with the shooting in Uvalde, Texas? On Today's Show:Michelle Garcia, journalist, essayist, Soros Equality Fellow and Dobie Paisano writer-in-residence, and Monica Muñoz Martinez, associate professor of history at the University of Texas-Austin, talk about the border security apparatus at Uvalde, and the history of violence and discrimination at the South Texas and Mexican border.

The daytime talkshow star has always been a driver of cultural trends. But now as Dr. Oz campaigns for the Senate, we look at her politics, and how she wields her political influence. On Today's Show:Kellie Jackson, historian, associate professor of African Studies, Wellesley College and host and executive producer of the Oprahdemics podcast, and Leah Wright Rigueur, associate professor of history, Johns Hopkins University and co-host of the Oprahdemics podcast, talk about Oprah's role in giving Dr. Oz a platform, what he became and if she has any responsibility to speak out.

Questions about the state of the economy are dominating the news, and conversations about voters' priorities heading into the midterms. On Today's Show:Jeanna Smialek, reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the economy for The New York Times, joins to break down the latest jobs numbers, the state of the economy and why some experts are warning that the U.S. is heading towards a recession.

On the 100th day of Russia's war in Ukraine, we take a look at the status of the conflict, and what impact western support for Ukraine has had. On Today's Show:Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck, a new media company, discusses the latest news from Ukraine as Russia's invasion drags on, plus what the United States is doing to respond, and how that's landing politically here.

Advocates for gun control reforms might see more progress by pursuing their agenda through the court system, rather than in Congress or state legislatures. On Today's Show:Jake Charles, lecturing fellow and executive director of the Center for Firearms Law at Duke University, joins to discuss the lawsuit against the Glock manufacturer and an impending Supreme Court ruling on whether to expand New Yorkers' rights to carry guns.

The push for anti-LGBTQ+ policies, like Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, is gaining traction around the country. On Today's Show:William Eskridge, Yale Law School professor and author of many books, including Marriage Equality: From Outlaws to In-Laws (Yale University Press, 2020), reflects on how transphobia has replaced homophobia as the most common form of hate and fearmongering directed toward LGBTQ folks, as well as the combination of hate and fear that the term "phobia" suggests.

Some Republicans are showing an appetite for gun law reforms in the wake of last week's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. On Today's Show:Tamara Keith, NPR White House correspondent and co-host of the NPR Politics podcast, talks about the latest national political news, including what's happening with gun control after several devastating mass shootings.

On this holiday episode of the podcast, we wanted to explore the roots of Memorial Day. On Today's Show:More than the start of summer, Memorial Day is about honoring those who died in service to the country. Kenneth C. Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much About History" series and most recently, Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy (Henry Holt and Company, 2020) talks about the holiday's post-Civil War origin and America's contested history in general.

We can't go back to before Roe v. Wade. The country is too different. So where are we going? On Today's Show: We present a national evening special call-in show that Brian hosted a few weeks ago, with Errin Haines, editor-at-large at The 19th, an independent newsroom with a lens on gender, politics, and policy; and Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland, and the recent Atlantic cover story about “the abortion underground.”

We check in on how lawmakers in one state capitol are looking at the school shooting in Texas, and asking how to better prevent gun violence. On Today's Show:Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, talks about renewed calls for regulating guns in the wake of two mass shootings. Plus, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-20th, Brooklyn), Elections Committee chair, joins the conversation to talk about the just-upheld law he sponsored to hold manufacturers liable for gun violence and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon (D-52nd, Brooklyn) calls in to talk about the red flag bill she sponsored.

The small town of Uvalde Texas now joins Newtown Connecticut and Parkland Florida, as a community grieving in the wake of a school shooting. On Today's Show:Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, Texas Capitol Reporter at The ​Texas Newsroom, talks about the community of Uvalde, Texas and the victims of yesterday's mass shooting at an elementary school.

How is the electoral map shaping up for Republicans amid primary season, and how are candidates relating themselves to former president Donald Trump? On Today's Show: Henry Olsen, Washington Post columnist and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, previews today's key races and discusses results in Georgia and other states, so far.

We check in on some recent national political polling ahead of this year's midterm elections, and on Biden's policy on supporting Taiwan. 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), now in paperback, talks about the latest in national politics, including recent polling on midterm issues and President Biden's statement on Taiwan.

The American conservative movement is heading to Victor Orban's Hungary. Why do they want to hold CPAC there? On Today's Show:Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, talks about why CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is taking place in Hungary this week, and what that says about the movement. Plus, she shares her analysis of this week's primary elections.

How does political rhetoric contribute to violent bigotry and hate crimes, and how does that violence impact communities, beyond the direct victims? On Today's Show:Brian Levin, criminologist, civil rights attorney and professor of criminal justice and director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, talks about the hate crime investigation, and the motivation of the suspect who shot 13 people in a Buffalo supermarket this weekend.

With the ongoing war in Ukraine and the leaked news that President Biden is sending some troops to Somalia, we asked an international affairs expert to explain the latest geopolitics. On Today's Show:Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post columnist, host of CNN’s "Fareed Zakaria GPS," and the author of Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), offers his analysis of the Biden Administration's decision to send troops to Somalia, new members looking to join NATO and the latest on the war in Ukraine. His new CNN special is "Inside the Mind of Vladimir Putin."

How has social media shaped society, and particularly, how has it contributed to some of the violence and bigotry we see in our culture today? On Today's Show:It may have begun with promise, but Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist for New York University's Stern School of Business, argues that social media has ripped apart the fabric of society over the past decade. He offers his analysis, and thoughts on how to overcome the major problems it has created.

In politics, popularity is about selling a policy agenda to the public. On Today's Show:Bill de Blasio, former mayor of New York City, draws from his experience and offers advice to President Biden and the Democratic Party on messaging.

As the changing climate continues to shape the planet, and some of the crises that humanity faces while living on it, we explore mental health, and the ethics of having kids. On Today's Show:Britt Wray, Human and Planetary Health Fellow at Stanford University and author of the new book Generation Dread, talks about how climate anxiety can affect people's decisions on whether to have children, or not.

With baby formula shortages and rising grocery costs, we explore the economic situation in the US and around the world. On Today's Show:Greg Ip, chief economics commentator at The Wall Street Journal, talks about the latest news on the economy, including the persistent high prices, the stock market sell-off and more as President Biden insists inflation is the administration's highest priority.

President Obama's attorney general has a new book out about voting rights. On Today's Show:Eric Holder, former U.S. attorney general under Pres. Obama, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and Sam Koppelman, author and director of surrogate speech-writing on the Biden-Harris presidential campaign, talk about their new book, Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote-A History, a Crisis, a Plan (One World, 2022), plus the current redistricting picture.

With SCOTUS likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, a Congressman explained what Dems in Congress could do to enshrine reproductive rights into federal law. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn and Queens), House Democrats chairman, talks about the Alito draft opinion overturning Roe, and the Democrats' outlook for the midterms.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, it still won't mean the end of lower court battles over abortion rights. On Today's Show:Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is the lead litigator in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, discusses the status of abortion rights today, and what a Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade would mean.

A new book details previously unreported events from the January 6th insurrection. In light of the Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe, we look at the state of the political right, now. On Today's Show:Alexander Burns, national political correspondent for The New York Times, political analyst for CNN, and the co-author (with Jonathan Martin) of This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future (Simon & Schuster, 2022), talks about his new book, an account of the 2020 election and first year of the Biden administration, plus offers an analysis of current politics.

Abortions won't stop if Roe is overturned, but the future of abortion access would certainly look different than it does today. On Today's Show:Jessica Bruder, Brooklyn-based journalist and author of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (W. W. Norton & Company, 2017), talks about her reporting for The Atlantic on the underground network of activists who have been preparing for the potential that the Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade and the right to legal abortion.

A leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade's abortion precedent casts uncertainty over the future of reproductive rights. On Today's Show:Mary Ziegler, professor at Florida State University College of Law, currently a visiting professor of constitutional law at Harvard and the author of Abortion and the Law in America: A Legal History, Roe v. Wade to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2020), talks about what this means and what comes next for abortion rights in America.

Over the weekend, the D.C. press and President Biden's White House gathered for an evening of good-natured political jest. So who joked about whom? And more Monday morning politics. On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, White House bureau chief at Politico, host of Way Too Early on MSNBC and NBCNews analyst and Darlene Superville, White House reporter for The Associated Press and the co-author (with Julie Pace) of Jill: A Biography of the First Lady (Little, Brown and Company, 2022), discuss the latest national political developments and Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner.

One of the central issues at the upcoming Summit Of The Americas is migration, and how to address deportation and asylum cases. On Today's Show:Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, former Congresswoman from Florida, now special advisor on the Summit of the Americas to the U.S. Department of State, discusses the State Department's priorities at the upcoming Summit of the Americas gathering related to climate change, migration and more.

A judge in New York State just shot down the Democrats' proposed new map of electoral districts. On Today's Show: Jon Campbell, Albany reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, explains what this means for the upcoming primary elections and eventually the midterms and the makeup of the House of Representatives.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand dropped by to talk about her international trip to sure up global support for Ukraine. On Today's Show:Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY), talks about her recent overseas trip and and speaks with constituents about issues closer to home. Plus, a preview of a new true crime podcast from WNYC:New Jersey politics is not for the faint of heart. But the brutal killing of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent couple with personal ties to three governors, shocks even the most cynical operatives. The mystery surrounding the crime sends their son on a quest for truth. Dead End is a story of crime and corruption at the highest levels of society in the Garden State. Click here to listen and subscribe to Dead End.

It's been over a year since President Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol to overturn the election of Joe Biden. Since then, he's worked to block investigations into the event. On Today's Show:Andrea Bernstein, investigative journalist, and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power (W.W. Norton and Co, 2020) and Ilya Marritz, who covers Trump legal matters for NPR, talk about their new podcast from Pineapple Media, "Will Be Wild," about what led up to the Jan. 6th insurrection, plus the latest on the former president's legal issues.

The Supreme Court recently that Puerto Ricans were ineligible for some disability benefits. What does it mean for boricuas, and their relationship with the mainland US? On Today's Show:Yarimar Bonilla, professor of Puerto Rican Studies and Anthropology at the City University of New York, monthly columnist at El Nuevo Dia, and incoming director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, talks about the implications of that ruling and what it might mean for the future of statehood for the island.

The geopolitical and cultural drivers behind Russia's invasion of Ukraine have a religious dimension, and the conflict is causing tension within the Eastern Orthodox Church. On Today's Show:With Eastern Orthodox Easter this weekend, Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post columnist and author of Today's WorldView, the Post's international affairs newsletter, examines the Russian church's support of the invasion of Ukraine -- even as many of the church's congregants and holiest sites are in Ukraine.

With states around the nation moving to legalize weed, it's worth considering how employers might test for impairment on the job. On Today's Show:As legal recreational cannabis sales roll out in New Jersey, Alyson Martin, co-founder of Cannabis Wire and adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, discusses the complicated laws behind testing for the drug for professions that bar its use, and how legal states are approaching the issue differently.

It's been 8 months since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. Why hasn't the Taliban government allowed girls to return to the classroom, as they said they would? On Today's Show:Karen DeYoung, Washington Post associate editor and senior national security correspondent, talks about the latest in Afghanistan with girls' education and the economic impact of the country's frozen bank assets.

French citizens in France and abroad will head to the polls for the presidential election this weekend. On the ballot: the current president, Emmanuel Macron, the far right, anti-immigrant nationalist Marine Le Pen. On Today's Show:Roger Cohen, Paris bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses what's at stake as French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen head to the runoffs.

One of the few Black Republicans to serve in Congress discusses partisanship around the country, in his home state, and some of the GOP's policy agenda's including abortion bans and more. On Today's Show:Will Hurd, former member of Congress (R - TX 23rd), CIA undercover officer, and cybersecurity executive, now an officer at the private investment bank Allen & Company and the author of American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done (Simon and Schuster, 2022), talks about his new book and the state of partisan politics in Texas and the nation.

We asked a Nobel laureate economist about one of the top issues on voters' minds as we go into this year's midterm elections: inflation. On Today's Show:Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, New York Times columnist, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), discusses last month's Consumer Price Index, released Tuesday, and the politics of inflation as Democrats and Republicans play the blame game.

After a shooter injured several people on a NYC subway car, we discuss the weapon, and how it wound up in the hands of a violent individual. On Today's Show:Ann Givens, public safety editor for WNYC/Gothamist, and Paul Barrett, deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and the author of Glock: The Rise of America's Gun (Broadway Books, 2013), talk about the gun used by the subway shooter, and how systems failed the alleged shooter and New Yorkers.

On today's show: NY Governor Kathy Hochul addresses the subway shooting, the arrest and resignation of Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin on bribery and campaign fraud charges, as well as the state budget and news from the state capitol.

With vaccines and treatments, is it time to start 'living with COVID'? On Today's Show:Leana Wen, MD, emergency physician, professor at George Washington University, contributing columnist for The Washington Post, and CNN medical analyst, suggests people should take the availability of vaccines and treatments into account when calculating their risks and not go back to masks mandates as long as hospitals are not strained.

On Today's Show:Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and the author of Lessons From The Edge: A Memoir (Mariner Books, 2022), shares her view on the situation in Ukraine.

How should the globe's neoliberal geopolitics adapt to Putin's aggression in Eastern Europe? On Today's Show:Under the shadow of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Anne Applebaum, staff writer for The Atlantic, senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Agora Institute, and the author of many books including Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism (Doubleday, 2020), shares her prescription for how the world should nurture democracy before it's too late.