Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Today, we talk about several key policy issues on the table for the Biden administration, particularly those with ramifications for the working class. On Today's Show:Jason Johnson, MSNBC contributor, author, professor of Politics and Journalism at Morgan State University and host of the new Slate political podcast A Word … with Jason Johnson, talks about the latest news coming out of Washington, including Biden's commission to study the Supreme Court, relief for Black farmers and Amazon's union fight.

Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan goes well beyond bridges, roads and tunnels. His emphasis on 'human infrastructure' includes supporting elder care workers and family caregivers. On Today's Show: Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities (NLC), digs in on the infrastructure needs of cities. Then, Jess Morales Rocketto, the civic engagement director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the executive director of Care in Action, talks about the "care infrastructure" components of the plan.

What are we really talking about when we talk about "vaccine passports," and is that label even accurate to describe a public health measure that could help to re-open safely? On Today's Show:Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician, professor at George Washington University, contributing columnist for The Washington Post, CNN medical analyst, and former Baltimore Health Commissioner and the author of the forthcoming book Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health (Metropolitan Books, 2021), shares her thoughts on how to re-frame vaccine passports so they are less divisive, and explains how she believes proof of vaccination can give people more freedom, not less. Plus, she discusses the latest on the race between the variants causing new case spikes and vaccine distribution.

While some say COVID vaccine passports are key to safely getting back to everyday activities, others are concerned about the access and equity issues at play. On Today's Show:Dan Diamond, national health reporter at The Washington Post, talks about how they'd work, the politics of the system and more.

There's a proposal in Congress to put questions of statehood and representation to the people of Puerto Rico. But in thinking about its future, we must reckon with its colonial present. On Today's Show:Alana Casanova-Burgess, host of La Brega, and reporter and producer for WNYC's On the Media, and Yarimar Bonilla, professor of Puerto Rican Studies and Anthropology at the City University of New York, monthly columnist at El Nuevo Día, and incoming director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, talk about how Puerto Ricans are weighing the many options for a new political future of the island.

Paying for a $2 trillion infrastructure bill won't be easy, and Democrats don't all agree on what the taxes that pay for it should look like. On Today's Show:Rep. Tom Suozzi, (D-NY3, parts of Long Island and Queens), explains his stance on not voting for the infrastructure bill unless the SALT deduction is restored, and talks about the politics behind some current tax policy questions.

Polls suggest that the public supports many of the progressive policies being pushed by the Biden administration. But how to pay for it is a more complicated question. On Today's Show:Catherine Rampell, syndicated opinion columnist at The Washington Post, political/economic commentator at CNN and special correspondent at PBS NewsHour, runs through the latest in national politics and news.

While the mainstream press is focusing on the Democrat versus Republican parties debate over President Biden's multi-trillion dollar infrastructure plan, there's another debate that's also emerging. This one between moderate Democrats, who think the plan is the right size, and more progressive Democrats, who think the plan is too small, in terms of the number of dollars. On Today's Show: Nelini Stamp, Working Families Party managing director, shares the WFP's critique of President Biden's infrastructure and jobs plan — which is, essentially, that it's not large enough to meet the moment.

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.