Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

On Today's Show:Lucia Starbuck, political reporter and host of Purple Politics Nevada at KUNR, talks about the issues animating voters in the swing state of Nevada, what the polls show about Trump and Harris's chances of winning the state, and the unique political dynamics at play.

Former president Donald Trump challenged the 2020 election results in court and lost.On Today's Show:Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket and partner at Elias Law Group, talks about his experience in overturning Trump's challenge in court, and what he anticipates may be the battle ahead for the 2024 election should Trump deny a potential loss.

With the 2024 election season wrapping up in under two weeks, a look at the latest developing stories from the campaign trail. On Today's Show:Dana Milbank, columnist for The Washington Post and the author of Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theorists and Dunces who Burned Down the House (Little, Brown and Company, 2024), talks about his new book and the congressional races.

Influencers, billions of dollars in campaign funding, and the first presidential election after Jan. 6, all add up to a different kind of campaign coverage in the mainstream media. On Today's Show:Brooke Gladstone, and Micah Loewinger, co-hosts of WNYC's On The Media, talk about what’s been different in the media during this presidential election cycle compared to the last two.

With the 2024 election season set to wrap up in just a couple of weeks, we look at the politics of an important demographic: young men.On Today's Show:Jessica Grose, opinion writer at The New York Times and the author of Screaming on The Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood (Mariner Books, 2022), offers analysis of Gen Z men's relationship with feminism, and how that is related to their voting patterns.

In honor of WNYC's centennial, Brian quizzes listeners on topics covered in the centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things." Today's quiz focuses on Democratic presidential candidates.

Continuing our series of deep-dives into the politics of swing states in the 2024 election, we take a close look at the Peach State. On Today's Show:Maya King, politics reporter covering the Southeast at The New York Times, breaks down the latest news from Georgia, a swing-state where record breaking early voting has already begun.

Congressional races in New York's suburbs could make or break Democratic control of Congress.On Today's Show:Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, talks about the campaigns in the swing Congressional districts on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, and how they'll impact Congress.

A new podcast looks at the issues that are important to Latino voters, especially in swing states, and how voters there see the presidential candidates.On Today's Show:Julio Vaqueiro, Noticias Telemundo anchor, and Daniel Alarcón, editorial director of the podcast El Péndulo and executive producer at Radio Ambulante Studios, talk about their new show.

The November cover story in The Atlantic, headlined "The Moment of Truth," explores the risks to democracy that a second Trump term could pose.On Today's Show:Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter, discusses why he sees another Trump presidency as a fundamental challenge to norms that stretch back to George Washington.

On today's show: Washington Post climate reporter Maxine Joselow discusses the rampant misinformation about the origins of recent hurricanes and FEMA relief money, which is causing factions within the GOP and holding up disaster relief.

In the swing state of Arizona, will the candidates' policies or "vibes" determine the outcome of the national races? On Today's Show:Jim Small, editor in chief of Arizona Mirror, an independent, nonprofit news organization, talks about the issues animating Arizona voters in the presidential and senate races and what appeals are landing with voters.

This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner is a Japanese organization working toward global nuclear disarmament.On Today's Show:On the day the Nobel Committee awards the Peace Prize, Gideon Rose, adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the former editor of Foreign Affairs and author of How Wars End (Simon & Schuster, 2010), looks at this year's recipient and back through its impact over the last century, as part of our ongoing centennial series.

We present a special long podcast taken from Brian's national call-in election year special America, Are We Ready, this year in partnership with Marketplace's Kimberly Adams. On Today's Show:Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, will explain her reporting on topics like drug prices, the insurance system, and the future of the Affordable Care Act, and how voters are thinking about them. Plus, listeners from around the country weigh in on how healthcare policy could impact their votes.

Democrat Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw held a debate in an important New Jersey Senate race. On Today's Show:Brent Johnson, political reporter in the Statehouse bureau of The Star-Ledger and NJ.com, summarizes the key moments in that debate and reports on the latest in the race.

As the next Supreme Court term gets underway, we look at the cases it could rule on in the coming year. On Today's Show:Melissa Murray, NYU law professor and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny, looks at the cases the Supreme Court will soon hear and decide upon.

In the swing state of Wisconsin, how are things like Liz Cheney's appearance with Kamala Harris moving the needle?On Today's Show:Charlie Sykes, founder of The Bulwark, MSNBC contributor, author of the newsletter "To the Contrary" and author of How the Right Lost Its Mind (St. Martin's Press, 2017), talks about the issues animating voters in 'The Badger State.'

Former President Trump has threatened to retaliate against political opponents if he wins in November.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) shares reporting on how and whether he would be able to follow through.

A work stoppage at the United States' ports could affect the supply chain, and the broader economy.On Today's Show:Peter S. Goodman, reporter who covers the global economy for The New York Times and author of How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain (Mariner Books, 2024) explains why the longshoremen are striking

Last night, CBS held the first and only Vice Presidential debate this election season.On Today's Show:Meredith Lee Hill, reporter for Politico covering Tim Walz, offers analysis of the debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance. Plus hear highlights, and callers opinions on what we heard.

In supporting Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly vying for a possible position in his administration related to healthcare policy or food regulation. On Today's Show:Rachael Bedard, MD, geriatrician, palliative care doctor and a writer, talks about how a Trump win - and the likelihood for a plum position in the administration for RFK, Jr. - would harm public health.

Voters in Michigan will play a key role in deciding the results of the presidential election.On Today's Show:Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Public and co-host of the podcast “It's Just Politics” talks about the issues that voters in Michigan care about, and what the polls show about the chances that Trump and Harris have of winning the state.

In a speech she delivered on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Kamala Harris laid out her economic pitch to voters. On Today's Show:Heather Long, Washington Post opinion columnist, discusses the plan, and whether she thinks it will attract enough of the voters she needs to win.

NYC's Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on charges of bribery and fraud. On Today's Show:Brian reads excerpts from the federal indictment , and Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel's Office and the co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), reacts and shares his legal analysis.

With a little over a month until the 2024 presidential election season wraps up, we explore how undecided voters are thinking about their choice. On Today's Show:Ruth Igielnik, polling editor at the New York Times, discusses the trends and stories within polling of undecided voters as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump vie for their allegiances.

Some Trump-aligned Republicans in certain states are reportedly working to sow confusion over vote counting.On Today's Show:Ari Berman, voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones and author of Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024), talks about how efforts to undermine confidence in the electoral system could affect the outcome of the presidential election.

The book Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools (University of Chicago Press, September 2022), traces the history of the so-called "culture wars" in public education.On Today's Show: Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania discusses religion in schools, the controversies of today over critical race theory, and immigration curricula in history classrooms, as part of WNYC's Centennial series, "100 Years Of 100 Things"

A New Jersey lawmaker shares her thoughts and analysis on some of the key issues facing Congress. On Today's Show:Mikie Sherrill, U.S. Representative (D, NJ-11), talks about the latest national political news of the day, including the budget fight in Congress, legislation she's proposed on emergency abortion care, the SALT tax and more.

A new podcast, Master Plan, traces the roots of Project 2025.On Today's Show:David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, host of the podcast Master Plan, an investigation into government corruption in the United States, co-creator of the movie Don't Look Up, and former presidential campaign speechwriter for Bernie Sanders, discusses the Heritage Foundation's controversial plan, and its possible impacts on political corruption of the Supreme Court among other crucial sectors of government.

Kamala Harris revealed in the recent presidential debate that she and her running mate are both gun owners, and there was another potential assassination attempt on Donald Trump this past weekend. On Today's Show:Jennifer Mascia, senior news writer and a founding staffer at The Trace, reports on how each campaign is handling gun policy.

We continue to take a close look at the policy issues that matter most to voters in the 'swing states' for this year's presidential election. On Today's Show:Rusty Jacobs, politics reporter at WUNC, breaks down the latest in the presidential campaign as seen through swing state voters in North Carolina.

In Tuesday's debate, climate change didn't exactly get its own section, but was wrapped up in questions related to energy and manufacturing policy.On Today's Show:Ben Lefebvre, Politico energy reporter, and Alan Rappeport, economic policy reporter for The New York Times, follow up on the candidates' positions.

After this week's presidential debate, we take a closer look at one of the key issues likely to impact turnout in this election: abortion rights. On Today's Show:Amanda Becker, Washington correspondent for The 19th and the author of You Must Stand Up: The Fight for Abortion Rights in Post-Dobbs America (Bloomsbury, 2024), shares her analysis, and the latest reporting.

Highlights and analysis of last night's presidential debate between vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), shares her thoughts on the state of the election, and listeners weigh in with their reactions to the debate.

With voters saying that economic issues are among their top priorities this election season, those are likely to be key topics in tonight's debate. Today: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 analysis of the Harris economic proposals as she outlined at the Democratic National Convention.

We look to Tuesday night's highly anticipated presidential debate between vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.On Today's Show:Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, shares how the candidates are preparing for the event, what issues may be on the forefront of the conversation, and her analysis on the state of the race leading up to the debate.

A school shooting in Georgia this week has pushed gun violence back into the spotlight, as both presidential contenders (and their VPs) clarify their positions.On Today's Show:Chip Brownlee, a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit news site covering gun violence, breaks down what we know about the shooting, gun violence in schools and what each candidate has proposed to address the issue.

A ballot measure to protect and expand abortion rights will be on the ballot in Florida this year. On Today's Show:Grace Panetta, political reporter at The 19th, and Kimberly Leonard, Politico politics reporter and author of Florida Playbook, explain the measure and why former President Donald Trump, who is registered to vote in Florida, has publicly said he'd vote against it.

Election season is underway, so we look at the campaigns 'boots on the ground' infrastructure.On Today's Show:Domenico Montanaro, NPR's senior political editor/correspondent, talks about the latest on the presidential race and other national politics.

As the presidential election seasons intensifies, we zoom in on the politics of a particularly critical swing state.On Today's Show:Steve Ulrich, managing editor at PoliticsPA, talks about the state of the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes.

Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post, and the author of the Today's World View newsletter and column, breaks down the latest news in Ukraine and the ongoing war with Russia.

States across the political spectrum have passed legislation to make period products more easily accessible in school bathrooms. On Today's Show:Chabeli Carrazana, economy and child care reporter for The 19th, explains how anti-transgender rhetoric has made students who menstruate, regardless of their gender, more likely to face 'period poverty'.

A closer look at how some progressives are viewing Vice President Harris's stance on Israel and Gaza.On Today's Show:Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News, co-host of the "Counterpoints" podcast, and author of many books, including The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution (Henry Holt and Co., 2023), discusses Kamala Harris's foreign policy objectives in the Middle East based on her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention held in Chicago last week, what she's expressed on the campaign trail, and her work as vice president in the Biden administration.

With the Democratic National Convention in the rearview mirror, Vice President Kamala Harris is forging her own policy platforms while RFK Jr. plots his next steps to support the Trump campaign.On Today's Show:Philip Bump, national columnist for The Washington Post and the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America (Viking, 2023), talks about the latest national political news, including how VP Harris is forging her own policy proposals and why RFK Jr. is throwing his support behind former president Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris and Democrats spent the week at the DNC explicitly celebrating their patriotism.On Today's Show:Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University, co-host of the podcast FAQNYC and the author of Black Ethnics (Oxford University Press, 2013), offers political analysis of Kamala Harris's speech to wrap up the Democratic National Convention.

The Democrats have used their convention to depict a party and candidate full of joy, in contrast to what they consider the grievance politics of the other side. On Today's Show:Jim Newell, senior politics writer for Slate, reviews the third night of the DNC, where speakers included Bill Clinton, Oprah and VP nominee Tim Walz among other notable people.

The Democratic National Convention continues, with participants reporting a joyful energy and an excitement about their party. On Today's Show:Juan Manuel Benitez, former longtime reporter and host at Spectrum News NY1 and NY1 Noticias, now professor at the Columbia Journalism School, recaps the second night of the Democratic National Convention, plus talks about how the Harris campaign is reaching out to Latino voters.

The Democratic National Convention is underway, with a slate of kickoff speakers that included Alexandria Ocassio Cortez, Hillary Clinton, and President Joe Biden.On Today's Show:Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum NY1 News, host of Inside City Hall and The Big Deal with Errol Louis, New York Magazine columnist and host of the podcast You Decide, recaps the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which begins this evening, two MSNBC journalists share their analysis of the current state of the race.On Today's Show:Luke Russert, host and creative director of MSNBC Live and author of the memoir Look For Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself (Harper Horizon, 2023), and Katy Tur, host of MSNBC's Katy Tur Reports and NBC News correspondent and author of books including Rough Draft (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2023), talk about the latest national political news, as the Democratic National Convention is about to kick off in Chicago

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are in a tight race in key battleground states, but recent polling shows the Vice President gaining a slight edge. Amy Walter, editor-in-chief of Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, takes a look at the numbers and offers analysis.