Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The annual inflation rate in the United States is running at a three decade high. So what's behind the inflation we're seeing throughout the economy? How is it landing on business owners and consumers, and what can be done about it? On Today's Show: Wendy Edelberg, director of The Hamilton Project and senior fellow, economic studies at The Brookings Institution, discusses the underpinning factors mostly related to the pandemic and weighs in on concern over long-term impact.

The New York Times' 1619 Project is now a book with expanded essays. Its centering of slavery in the American history narrative has generated controversy. On Today's Show: Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine, creator of the 1619 Project, now a book, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (One World, 2021), and Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University, talks about the book based on the New York Times 1619 Project, why it's become a hot-button issue, and where we go from here.

The Jan. 6 insurrection was an attack on the democratic process. How is the investigation into the events that day a defense of that same process? On Today's Show:Kimberly Wehle, law professor at the University of Baltimore, former U.S. Attorney, author of What You Need to Know About Voting--and Why (Harper Collins, 2020) and an opinion writer for many publications including Politico and The Atlantic, discusses the latest developments in the House Select Committee's investigation of the January 6th Attack.

Many activist movements today are leaning on an old protest method: the hunger strike. So why is this tactic seeing a resurgence, and what makes these demonstrations effective? On Today's Show:Sharman Apt Russell, author of several books including Hunger: An Unnatural History (Basic Books, 2006) and Within Our Grasp: Childhood Malnutrition Worldwide and the Revolution Taking Place to End It (Deckle Edge, 2021), discusses the history of hunger strikes and explains how they work.

What does a progressive freshman member of Congress have to say about the politics of this past election, and the process of passing Democrats' agenda? On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY15, South Bronx) talks about the postponed vote on Build Back Better, and about the just-passed infrastructure bill.

COP26 is wrapping up, and some last-minute commitments from the U.S. and China could help push the world toward its emissions reduction targets. On Today's Show:Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of Covering Climate Now and environmental correspondent of The Nation, has the latest key developments from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Democrats don't have one single name for the legislative agenda that's working through Congress. They have many. Could more focused messaging help pass it more easily? On Today's Show:Anat Shenker-Osorio, strategic communications consultant and host of the "Words To Win By" podcast, discusses the Democratic party's messaging around the Build Back Better (or human infrastructure or reconciliation or $3.5 trillion social spending) bill and what she thinks they could do better, and listeners call in with their own suggestions.

The trials of Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of shooting Black Lives Matter protesters, and of Ahmaud Arbery's alleged killers are both in jury selection. On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, joins to discuss the jury selection process, and how technicalities invite the possibility of racial bias into the courtroom.

As the climate changes, and famine, drought and other displacing forces get more frequent & more severe, how will the world deal with those forced to flee their homes for safer ground? On Today's Show:David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, discuss how climate change is fueling conflicts all over the world, and what solutions are being discussed at COP26 -- the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Race and racism were key factors in this past week's elections, which centered largely around the debate over teaching kids about the history of racism in America. On Today's Show:Jamelle Bouie, New York Times opinion columnist and CBS News analyst, reflects on electoral strategy following state and local Republican wins including what he calls "moral panic" over race in education as well as the role of progressive messaging for future Democrat campaigns.

It's not always easy to have conversations about race and racism. Why is it important to do it anyway, and how can we most effectively talk about it? On Today's Show:Celeste Headlee, author of Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism―and How to Do It (Harper Wave, 2021) draws on science and her own experience to offer guidance for having good conversations around issues of racial identity.

Two incumbent Democratic governors have not had the success they expected against GOP challengers. What can we glean from yesterday's election about politics going forward? On Today's Show:Nancy Solomon, reporter and editor in the WNYC newsroom, and Elena Schneider, national political reporter at POLITICO, break down preliminary results from New Jersey, where the governor's race is too close to call, and races across the nation, including the victory by Republican Glenn Youngkin as governor in Virginia.

As the UN gathers in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss global climate policy, the older lawmakers inside the summit, and the younger activists demonstrating outside have different priorities. On Today's Show:Marcela Mulholland, Political Director at Data for Progress, discusses their dissonant agendas.

As Congress inches closer to a human infrastructure deal, which contains a number of extremely popular programs, how could it change the political calculus if it's passed? 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), talks about the "framework" introduced by President Biden and the attempts to forge a compromise in Congress.

One of the most popular elements of Biden's 'Build Back Better' agenda, paid family leave, has been dropped from the bill. On Today's Show:Helaine Olen, Washington Post opinion columnist focusing on politics and economics, breaks down what's been going on in negotiations on the Hill, whether Democrats are close to a deal, and how the government would pay for it.

We've been hearing about revelations from the leaked 'Facebook Papers.' What has the social media giant has been doing, and what they haven't been doing, around the world? On Today's Show:Sheera Frenkel, New York Times technology reporter and author of, with Cecilia Kang, An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination, joins to discuss her latest reporting on Facebook's influence in India and across the globe.

What can the mayoral election in Buffalo, NY tell us about the current rifts between the center and the left in the Democratic party nationwide? On Today's Show:Robert McCarthy, political reporter at The Buffalo News, discusses the mayoral race in there, in which the incumbent Byron Brown is running a write-in campaign urging voters to support him, despite his loss to India Walton in the Democratic primary.

After months of negotiations, the legislation that makes up Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda looks much thinner than how it started. Here's the latest on what's left. On Today's Show:John Nichols, national-affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and the author, most recently, of The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party (Verso, 2020), discusses the latest news on the "Build Back Better" bill in Washington, plus the bellwether governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey.

There appears to be movement from Sen. Sinema on certain budget reconciliation measures, but her changing position has lost her some of the support she had. On Today's Show:Luke Broadwater, congressional reporter in the Washington bureau of the New York Times, breaks down the latest on the budget reconciliation bill talks and how the House has voted to find Stephen Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress for obstructing the investigation into the January 6th insurrection.

Politics is about how we as a society come together to hash out what's important to us. Instead of politics, we talk about a 50-year old piece of music that does the same. On Today's Show:Sean Ono Lennon, musician and son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, discusses how John Lennon's 1971 song "Imagine" was shaped by its time and has influenced music for generations to come.

The past year or so of the COVID pandemic has reshaped the global economy. An international update on that, plus, a preview of the upcoming UN Climate Summit in Glasgow. On Today's Show:Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post columnist and author of Today's WorldView and the Post's international affairs newsletter joins to talk about the latest in world news, including a preview of the global COP26 summit on climate change.

Trump is suing a Congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as well as the National Archive, over whether he can exert executive privilege after leaving office. On Today's Show:Claudia Grisales, congressional reporter at NPR, brings the latest national political news, including Trump's lawsuit against the Jan. 6 Select Committee and the National Archives, and Biden's efforts to convince Congress to move on his legislative priorities.

Today, a conversation about protecting democratic norms like voting rights in the face of attempts by Trump and his allies to rewrite them. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D, CA-28), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, talks about his new book Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could (Random House, 2021), in which he looks back at his experience as chief prosecutor in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Plus, the latest news on Capitol Hill as negotiations continue over the Build Back Better agenda.

How does Joe Biden's Catholicism square with his agenda? We talk about that, and other ways the President's beliefs intersect with his political "brand." On Today's Show:Ayesha Rascoe, White House correspondent for NPR, brings the latest national political news, including a preview of President Joe Biden's trip to the Vatican and updates on the infrastructure deal.

The economy isn't in good shape right now, but this Nobel laureate in economics thinks a post-pandemic upturn is just on the way. On Today's Show:Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist, distinguished professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and the author of (now in paperback) Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020) talks about the debt ceiling, the long-term economic picture and more.

Last night was the second debate in the race for New Jersey governor, but the issues at play aren't unique to the Garden State. On Today's Show:Michael Hill, WNYC Morning Edition host and Nancy Solomon, reporter and editor in the WNYC newsroom talk about the second gubernatorial debate in New Jersey (which Michael moderated), between incumbent Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican.

Much ado has been made about the motivations of Senators Manchin and Sinema. What are they hoping to get out of the game of hardball they're playing with their party's agenda. On Today's Show:Amanda Terkel, Huffington Post's Washington bureau chief, talks about the latest national political news including continuing negotiations in Congress over the debt limit and crucial legislation related to physical and social infrastructure.

As Congress negotiates the childcare provisions of a multi-faceted spending bill, we look at how US policy compares to the rest of the world. On Today's Show:Bryce Covert, an independent journalist who covers the economy and a contributing writer at the Nation, discusses the lack of public spending for early child care and the how the reconciliation package would affect it.

The winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been announced, and this year the honor goes to two journalists "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression." On Today's Show:Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, discusses the obstacles the journalists faced and this moment in journalism.

The US Department of Education has announced an overhaul of its student loan forgiveness program for public service workers. So who's eligible, and what exactly are they eligible for? On Today's Show:Stacy Cowley, New York Times finance reporter with a focus on consumer issues and data security, discusses the overhaul to a federal student loan forgiveness program that will benefit more than a half-million public service and non-profit workers.

Over the past week, a whistleblower's revelations about Facebook and an outage that brought the tech giant offline for hours have given Congress some rare bipartisan common ground. On Today's Show: Cecilia Kang, national technology correspondent at The New York Times and co-author with Sheera Frenkel of An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination (Harper, 2021), breaks down the key takeaways from yesterday's congressional hearings on the matter.

How worried should we really be about our national debt, and are the benefits of congressional oversight of the "debt ceiling" really worth the costs of government shutdowns? On Today's Show:Teresa Ghilarducci, labor economist focusing on retirement security, director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School, and a senior contributor for Forbes, explains what government shutdown would mean for ordinary Americans.

A new book from a pair of renowned investigative journalists documents the turmoil that marked Trump's final weeks in office. On Today's Show:Robert Costa, national political reporter at The Washington Post and co-author, with Bob Woodward, of Peril (Simon & Schuster, 2021), talks about his new book about the shaky transition of power from the Trump to the Biden administration.

A couple of Senate Democrats are playing hardball with some of their party's agenda for this legislative session. Plus, the Senate and House passed a short-term spending bill yesterday, ahead of a midnight deadline which would have shut down the government. On Today's Show:Seung Min Kim, White House reporter for The Washington Post, discusses the latest news and what happens next.

Today, a crucial deadline in Congress for the Democrats' infrastructure bill and other legislative matters. We caught up with a Dem. leader right after a meeting on the day's agenda. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn and Queens), House Democrats chairman, talks about where things stand with the infrastructure bill, the safety net reconciliation bill, the debt ceiling and more as Congress wrestles over President Biden's big agenda items.

With Biden's infrastructure bill center stage in Congress, what could it mean for home health aides and family caregivers? On Today's Show:Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, talks about what substantially more funding could mean for both home health care workers and the people who rely on their services.

With the U.S. rollout of booster shots for vulnerable people, much of the rest of the world is still struggling to get the first dose in people's arms. On Today's Show:Richard Mihigo, MD, MPH, immunization and vaccines development program coordinator at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), makes the case for prioritizing vaccine equity.

It's going to be a busy week in Washington, D.C. From a debate over Biden's immigration approach, to a deadline to pass two major bills, there's a lot to watch for. On Today's Show:Patrick Gaspard, president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress and former US ambassador to South Africa, talks about the latest on Haitian migrants and the United States' immigration policy, plus other national political news.

A senior U.S. diplomat to Haiti resigned over what he called the Biden administration’s "inhumane" decision to deport Haitian migrants. On Today's Show:Anu Joshi, vice president of policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, and Tracy Reines, regional director in the resettlement, asylum & integration unit at the International Rescue Committee, talk about the mounting crisis at the southern border.

Climate change has become a politicized issue, from whether or not it's occurring at all, to how it can be addressed. But what if we re-frame the debate around our shared values? On Today's Show:Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist at Texas Tech University, chief scientist of The Nature Conservancy, lead author for the Second, Third, and Fourth US National Climate Assessment, host of the PBS digital series Global Weirding and the author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2021), talks about how to avoid letting political polarization derail actions, big and small, to address climate change.

Now that the Pentagon has withdrawn from Afghanistan, can they prioritize cybersecurity and combating sexual assault in the ranks? On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in the Senate and the latest on the military's budget and the status of the infrastructure bills.

The Biden Administration announced it will end restrictions on air travel for fully vaccinated foreigners to come to the U.S., starting in November. On Today's Show:Oriana Pawlyk, aviation reporter for Politico, talks about this news and the state of air travel as the pandemic drags on.

On today's show: Emily Cochrane, New York Times congressional reporter, talks about the debate in Congress over the budget and the future of the Biden agenda.

On today's show: Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post congressional reporter covering the House of Representatives, talks about the latest political news including the Democrats' continued negotiations over the budget bill and Saturday's 'Justice for J6' rally.

On today's show: Amesh Adalja, MD, infectious disease doctor and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and Tara Haelle, science journalist who covers vaccine hesitancy and the anti-vaccine movement and the author of the book for young readers, Vaccination Investigation: The History and Science of Vaccines (2018), break down the latest in COVID-19 treatment facts and bust some common myths.

Broadway shows like "Wicked" and "Hamilton" held their first post-lockdown performances Wednesday night. On Today's Show: WNYC/Gothamist news and culture editor Jennifer Vanasco talks about the reopening of Broadway theaters, as workers and audience members weigh in.

It's gubernatorial recall election day in California. Tonight the most populous state in the union could go from having a Democratic governor to having a very Republican one aligned with former President Donald Trump and Stephen Miller. On Today's Show: Marisa Lagos, political correspondent at KQED and co-host of the podcast Political Breakdown, joins to talk about the election, and when we expect results.

After last week's show of national unity leading up to the 20th anniversary of 9/11, this week Republican governors are suing the Biden administration over vaccine mandates and the DOJ is suing over the Texas abortion law. On Today's Show: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), breaks down the latest news on the lawsuits.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Muslim listeners called in to talk about how their lives in the U.S. changed after the terror attacks. On Today's Show:Rowaida Abdelaziz, national reporter for HuffPost where she focuses on immigration, Islamophobia, and social justice issues, adds national context to callers' experiences

What does the delta variant mean for the U.S.'s economic recovery, and what does it mean for the very unequal way that the pandemic has impacted women? On Today's Show:Catherine Rampell, syndicated opinion columnist at The Washington Post, political/economic commentator at CNN and special correspondent at PBS NewsHour, and C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, talk about where things stand in the pandemic economic recovery.