Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan unveiled yesterday isn't just about infrastructure. It's also about unions, climate and restoring economic balance after decades of the concentration of wealth in this country. On Today's Show: Megan Cassella, Politico reporter covering Biden administration economic policy, talks about the big infrastructure proposal from President Biden.

As scientists continue to monitor the impact of the available COVID vaccines, how do our personal equations around risk and safety change? On Today's Show:Celine Gounder, professor of medicine & infectious diseases at the NYU School of Medicine; Bellevue Hospital doctor, medical analyst for CNN and the host/producer of American Diagnosis and Epidemic podcasts, explains what a CDC study of essential workers found, including confirmation that the vaccines prevent illness from COVID-19 in real-world conditions and that they appear to prevent even asymptomatic infections.

The safest way to return to full-capacity mass gatherings is to make sure attendees have been vaccinated. The right software could help, but there are some privacy and equity concerns. On Today's Show:New York recently launched a vaccine passport called the "Excelsior Pass." Brian Behlendorf, general manager of Blockchain Healthcare and Identity at the Linux Foundation of Public Health, talks about what it is, and how people in the open source community are advocating for systems like these to be linked, so people don't need multiple apps. Then, Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) at the Urban Justice Center, a New York–based civil rights and privacy group, and a fellow at the Engelberg Center for Innovation Law & Policy at NYU School of Law shares concerns about privacy and the digital divide.

The geopolitical situation facing President Biden is largely a situation created by his predecessor, who re-shuffled old alliances and worked to dismantle the US foreign policy apparatus. On Today's Show:Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent at New York Magazine, talks about the latest news from Washington, D.C., including the uphill battle the Biden administration faces as it confronts the previous administration's legacy on foreign policy, and the challenges of diplomacy facing the new president.

Why did the NCAA give their female athletes a rack of dumbells while male players got a full fitness facility? That, and more on gender disparities in sports. On Today's Show:Sally Jenkins, sports columnist for the Washington Post, and formerly a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, talks about the recent outrage over the NCAA's unequal treatment between men and women athletes competing in March Madness, and her own experiences covering women’s sports over her career.

Filibuster reform is a key topic on the agenda for the Senate. What could it mean for the rest of the Democratic majority's agenda? Plus, reflections on calling out sexual misconduct. On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) answers questions about the issues facing the senate and the state, including regulating firearms meant for military use, sexual harassment and due process, and the toxic 'burn pits' the Army uses to dispose of chemicals and electronics.

The debate over the filibuster could have implications that reach deep into the Biden administration's ability to get things done, on issues like voting rights and gun safety. On Today's Show:Tyler Pager, Washington Post White House reporter, and Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post Congressional reporter covering the House of Representatives, talk about the prospects of any gun control legislation making it through Congress, where filibuster reform stands and more national political news.

Because of the way Congress has changed the rules governing student loans, 6 million people didn't get the relief most got in the first COVID package that passed last year. On Today's Show:Molly Webster, RadioLab senior correspondent, talks about her recent NYT op-ed explaining how she borrowed $78,000, has paid $60,000, and still owes $100,000 -- with no relief in sight.

President Biden's challenge at the border is to craft a policy that's humane without encouraging unauthorized entries. So where do unaccompanied minors fit into the policy? On Today's Show:Bitta Mostofi, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and Maria Odom, vice president for Legal Programs at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), talk about the situation at the southern border and the implications of Pres. Biden's immigration policies for children who cross the border alone.

For the past year, we've heard some politicians use racist rhetoric around COVID-19. On Today's Show:Rep. Grace Meng talks about the link between speech, bias and violence. Plus, Biden's immigration record, and what's next on Congress's agenda.

We all have that person we've been meaning to call and check in on. Those calls can be hard to make, but our WNYC colleague wants to make it a little easier, by doing it together. Text "Call Day" to 70101 to sign up for "Pick Up The Phone And Call Day." On Today's Show:The team at WNYC's Death, Sex & Money is instituting a new holiday called "Pick Up the Phone and Call" day, to help people who have become disconnected throughout the pandemic get back in touch. Anna Sale, host of the WNYC Studios podcast Death, Sex & Money, explains how to go about it, and why it's important.

We asked immigrants to call in and recommend some policy positions they hope Biden takes with respect to their countries of origin. 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). Then, Susan Glasser, staff writer for The New Yorker, CNN global affairs analyst and the co-author, with Peter Baker, of The Man Who Ran Washington: the Life and Times of Jim Baker III (Doubleday, 2020)

The COVID vaccine is intended to make it harder for the virus to make you dangerously sick. But it also might help folks who got sick before and still have long-lingering symptoms. On Today's Show:Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, infectious disease clinician and researcher at Columbia, chief of the division of Infectious Disease for ProHEALTH Care medical group, talks about what we know about vaccines and treatment, in and out of the hospital and the anecdotal evidence that vaccines help some of those suffering from "long COVID." Dr. Griffin offers a weekly clinical update on the podcast This Week in Virology.

On Today's Show: A shooting at three spas in Atlanta left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. Joo Han, deputy director of the Asian American Federation, reflects on the murders and talks about how her group is organizing to #StopAsianHate amidst a surge in violence. Plus, Asian-Americans listeners call in to describe their experiences this year and how they're reacting to the seemingly endless reports of violence against the Asian-American community.

Some US states are loosening COVID restrictions early, while much of Europe has suspended the use of a previously approved vaccine. On Today's Show:Ravina Kullar, PharmD, epidemiologist and infectious disease physician based in Los Angeles, discusses the latest COVID-19 developments — from the suspension of use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in several European countries to the news that officials in many states in America are loosening pandemic restrictions despite the danger of new variants.

Biden and Harris have hit the road, traveling the country to sell the public on the idea that masking up and staying cautious is the patriotic way to end this pandemic. On Today's Show:A conversation from right after Biden's prime-time speech last Thursday with Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and author of the forthcoming Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power (Twelve, 2021); and Kai Wright, host of The United States of Anxiety from WNYC Studios, about the politics, and the substance, of the newly passed COVID relief bill.

The relationship between criminal justice and technology is complicated, especially given that the tools marketed to law enforcement often perpetuate racial biases in mass incarceration. On Today's Show:Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises’s executive director, and Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, talk about the data and information systems that track individuals in the criminal legal system.

People are uncertain about the CDC's guidance on safety once your vaccinated. But are public health messengers missing an opportunity to tie the vaccine to a return to normalcy? On Today's Show:Leana Wen, emergency physician, professor at George Washington University, contributing columnist for The Washington Post, CNN medical analyst, and former Baltimore Health Commissioner, shares her take on the new CDC guidance for vaccinated people, and talks about whether she thinks we'll be hit with a fourth wave of cases, helped along by the many variants, or if enough people will be vaccinated quickly enough to stave it off.

Biden's speech last night laid out a timeline for "independence from this virus." But unlike his predecessor, he made it clear that a return to normalcy means masking up and getting vaccinated. On Today's Show:Ayesha Rascoe, White House correspondent for NPR, talks through the latest news coming out of Washington, including highlights from President Biden's address to the country after signing the $1.9 trillion economic relief package.

The team at the Daily Show knew that Trump's Jan. 6 rally could turn violent. So they did what they do best: find the funny. What's the role of satire when Democracy is under attack? On Today's Show:Jordan Klepper, comedian, television host, and correspondent for The Daily Show, reflects on his time covering Trump rallies throughout the former President's term.

The $1.9 trillion stimulus bill is nearing the finish line. So what wound up in the package, and what got cut? Who's getting a check, and how much? On Today's Show:Bonnie Watson Coleman, U.S. Representative (D, NJ-12), talks about recent legislation passed by the House, her work in Washington and her NJ district, and her recent bout with COVID.

When companies sell supplies to prisons, does their influence over inmates' lives stop with the inventory? On Today's Show:Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises’s executive director, and WNYC/Gothamist reporter George Joseph, talk about the equipment and supplies corporations that provide nearly everything used in prisons and jails from desks and uniforms to restraint jackets and tear gas.

President Biden’s nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland (D, NM) to be Secretary of the Interior would put a Native American (Laguna Pueblo) in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the first time ever and perhaps mark a new era for the relationship between the federal government and American Indians. Is it time for a new relationship between the U.S. government and America's Indian nations? On Today's Show:- Joy Harjo (Muscogee Nation) U.S. Poet Laureate, performer and writer, editor of When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), who has a new album "I Pray For My Enemies" - out tomorrow. Then,- Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canim Lake Band) vice president of policy and strategy with Data for Progress; narrative change director of the Natural History Museum; and a fellow of the Type Media Center, NDN Collective, and the Center for Humans and Nature

Progressive policy items, like police reform and voting rights protections, are moving through Congress, not to mention a $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill. On Today's Show:Elana Schor, Politico Congress editor, recaps the news out of Congress this week, including two bills the House passed on voting rights and policing, and more.

The governor of Texas is lifting all state-imposed COVID precautions. But public health experts say it's too soon to return to normal. What are the politics at play in reopening? On Today's Show:Jeremy Blackman, politics reporter for the Houston Chronicle, talks about Governor Greg Abbott's decision to end Texas's mask mandate and lift all capacity restrictions for businesses in the state and how residents and local politicians are reacting. Plus, callers from red sates call in with their thoughts on their states' reopening plans.

Biden's journey on racial issues has been a long & winding one. The question now is, what will he do as president? What's he done so far, & what's on his agenda, for racial equality? On Today's Show:Paul Butler, professor at Georgetown Law and the author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men (The New Press, 2017), checks in on what more progress -- if any -- the administration has made on advancing racial justice so far.

The 13th Amendment removed slavery from our laws. Except as punishment for a crime. Do mass incarceration, prison labor and the profits it generates add up to modern day slavery? On Today's Show:Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley talks about his "Abolition Amendment" which would seek to close the "slavery loophole" in the 13th amendment, and Bianca Tylek, Worth Rises’s executive director, talks about programs that require incarcerated people to work for little or no pay.

Two women have accused NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. How are those who were comforted by his leadership during the pandemic thinking about his other conduct? On Today's Show:Josefa Velásquez, senior reporter for THE CITY, talks about the story, the governor's (and Albany's) reactions and takes calls.

Over a third of nurses who have died from COVID-19 have been Filipino. We look at why so many Filipino immigrants become nurses, and how they've been failed by the healthcare system they work in. On Today's Show:Tracie Hunte, correspondent for The Experiment — a new series from The Atlantic and WNYC Studios — and Gabrielle Berbey, associate producer for The Experiment, discuss their reporting on how Filipino Americans came to work the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their new episode is called “The Sisterhood.”

Trump got elected on an anti-immigration platform. Can Biden deliver the comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform this country has tried, and failed, to implement for so long? On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez (D CA 38th, parts of LA and Orange Counties), House sponsor of the bill; thenSergio Gonzales, executive director Immigration Hub, former policy aide to then-Senator Kamala Harris, who helped draft the 2013 immigration reform package as a staffer for "Gang of Eight" member, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet.

The COVID relief bill is expected to pass in the House tomorrow. So let's dive into the details on what that could mean for people in different situations. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative (D-NY8) and House Democrats chairman Hakeem Jeffries, talks about the latest on the Covid-19 relief bill, and other national issues before Congress.

One of the startling facts to come out of the Jan. 6 insurrection is the fact that many of those charged in the attack are retired or active duty members of the military. On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) talks about rooting out extremism and sexual assault from the military, how Congress is protecting itself from future attacks, the COVID-19 relief bill and other issues.

Can compromise be an obstacle to unity, rather than its herald? With all that's at stake in recovering from the pandemic, maybe a little partisanship is necessary. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY3), talks about COVID relief in Congress, the Biden agenda and the role of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in today's political atmosphere.

President Biden has big plans for economic recovery, from the 1.9 trillion-dollar COVID relief package to green jobs creation, and polls show most Americans approve, but his plans face skepticism from deficit hawks and workers in the fossil fuel industry. On Today's Show:U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D KY 3rd, Louisville), chair of the House Budget Committee; William Spriggs, Howard University economics professor, chief economist to the AFL-CIO, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy (2009-2012); and Thea Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute talk about clawing ourselves out of the pandemic economy, and fashioning it into a sustainable system that works for everyone.

Social media giants have a lot of power over our behavior and information access, and attempts to regulate them raise complicated questions about speech and censorship. On Today's Show:Tom Malinowski, U.S. Representative (D NJ-7) who served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor in the Obama administration, joined us to discuss the recent congressional hearings into regulating social media.

Despite how the economy has looked during COVID, this Nobel Prize-winning economist says that once it's over, he actually has high hopes for the future. 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 (now in paperback) Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), offers his analysis on Pres. Biden's economic recovery plans and why deficits shouldn't be a big concern.

With the percentage of fully vaccinated people starting to climb, how should we adjust our calculus around risk to ourselves, and our risk to others? On Today's Show:Dhruv Khullar, M.D., contributing writer at The New Yorker and a practicing physician and an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, talks about the latest COVID-19 news including why vaccine hesitancy still exists in healthcare settings, updated CDC guidance, and how the vaccine and new variants of the virus change how we think about risk.

Now that Trump is out of office, and now that he's been acquitted by Congress of inciting an insurrection, what do we do about the white supremacist movement that embraced him? On Today's Show:Kai Wright, host of WNYC's "The United States of Anxiety", talks about what happens to the white supremacy movement without President Trump in the White House.

On Saturday, 7 Republican senators voted to disqualify Trump from future office. Others voted to acquit, but condemned Trump. Still others said he was innocent. On Today's Show:Olivia Nuzzi, Washington correspondent for New York magazine joins us to discuss what's next for the GOP.

After the Democrats wrapped up their impeachment case yesterday, Trump's lawyers make their case today. One of the nations preeminent legal minds brings his analysis of the Senate trial. On Today's Show:Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, host of the CAFE podcast Stay Tuned and Doing Justice, based on his book Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law (Knopf, 2019), offers analysis of the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump. NOTE: This podcast is taken from live conversations that take place prior to noon, when the Senate begins its proceedings. Please be mindful that by the time you listen, events may have developed beyond what's discussed in the interview.

Ahead of day 2 of Trump's second impeachment, we look at new evidence presented in the Senate yesterday, and how it changes how we understand what happened on Jan. 6. On Today's Show:Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst and host of the CAFE daily impeachment podcast Third Degree, talks about the ongoing Senate impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump, including how new evidence presented by House managers yesterday changes what we know about the Capitol insurrection. NOTE: This podcast is taken from live conversations that take place prior to noon, when the Senate begins its proceedings. Please be mindful that by the time you listen, events may have developed beyond what's discussed in the interview.

It's Day 1 of the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Beyond both sides' opening arguments, what can we expect by way of evidence that proves what we all saw with our own eyes? On Today's Show:Ari Melber, chief legal correspondent for MSNBC and host of "The Beat with Ari Melber", joins to preview the Senate impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump, and offers legal and political analysis. NOTE: This podcast is taken from live conversations that take place prior to noon, when the Senate begins its proceedings. Please be mindful that by the time you listen, events may have developed beyond what's discussed in the interview.

For those struggling in the pandemic economy, any form of relief would be welcome. So what's the most effective way to make sure COVID doesn't keep people from making ends meet? On Today's Show:Claudia Sahm, economist, founder of Stay-at-Home-Macro Consulting, and contributing writer to Bloomberg Opinion and New York Times Opinion, discusses the latest developments in the push for more COVID relief and the path to a robust economic recovery.

What would it look like if Trump's impeachment trial took place in a courtroom instead of the political circus that is the US Senate? 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), talks about her reporting on how Big Tech is policing speech and disinformation, the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, and more national political news.

We present America Are We Ready, a national call-in show on Biden's first 100 days. How will you be affected by climate change and climate policy? On Today's Show:Journalist Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism initiative, and the environmental correspondent for The Nation, and activist Peggy Shepard, co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, dig into the new administration's climate change agenda and ask how climate change -- and the policies to address it -- are affecting listeners and their neighborhoods.

Parenting is hard enough in normal times. But during a pandemic, it can lead you to a breaking point. Today, we look at those challenges, and how policy might help lighten the load. On Today's Show:Jessica Bennett, editor at large for The New York Times, and Dekeda Brown, autism mom and advocate and founder of the nonprofit Walk One Day In Our Shoes, talk about a new New York Times project called "Primal Scream" which collects diary entries from working mothers across the country on how they're managing life as we enter into the 11th month of the pandemic. Plus, parents call in with their own "primal scream" variants, including primal glasses of wine, and primal hiding-in-the-closet-for-a-moment-of-quiet.

Throughout his administration, Trump's anti-immigrant policies bordered on cruelty. How is the new President is working to unravel his predecessor's border policy of "family separation?" On Today's Show:Elora Mukherjee, director of Columbia Law School’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, talks about the recent executive orders by President Biden and the impact of the changes on immigration policies and how they're carried out. Plus, a look into why it's so challenging to undo the damage Trump and his acolyte Stephen Miller did to the immigration system.

A little less than a month since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building, what's being done to hold those who planned the attack accountable? On Today's Show:Katie Benner, Justice Department reporter at The New York Times, talks about where the Justice Department and FBI are in their investigations into the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, whether Trump is culpable for his supporters' actions, and the challenge for Biden's DOJ in pursuing more serious charges like sedition.

Punxsutawney Phil might have the right idea this "Groundhog's Day" to go back to sleep for the rest of a long winter, but Congress, still dealing with the aftermath of the January 6th attack, has a COVID Relief bill on its plate, a GOP House Member whose drawn criticism from Senate Minority Leader McConnell, and an impeachment trial starting next week. On today's show: Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, founders of Punchbowl News and co-hosts of its podcast The Daily Punch and the co-authors of The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the future of Trump’s America, weigh in on the latest political news from Washington, D.C.

A group of ten moderate GOP Senators have proposed a smaller COVID relief bill. But Democrats are split over the lessons of the Obama administration's negotiations with Congress and question whether that's a good faith effort at bipartisanship or a way to make President Biden's call for unity look like empty rhetoric. On Today's Show: Amanda Terkel, HuffPost Washington bureau chief, goes through their proposals and explains why there's a debate over how much negotiating the new administration should do.