Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Despite Republican claims on "freedom" as a value, VP Kamala Harris is leaning into the word on the campaign trail. On Today's Show:Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti, professor of political science and executive director of the Moynihan Center at The City College of New York, and author of the forthcoming 20 Years of Rage: How Resentment Took the Place of Politics (Mondadori, 2024), explains the origins of freedom in political rhetoric and how the Harris-Walz ticket is seeking to redefine freedom after the American right carried the mantle as the party of freedom for decades.

Tim Walz's climate record has advocates mostly pleased. On today's show, Dharna Noor, fossil fuels and climate reporter at Guardian US, takes a look at that record.

After Trump's attempts to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, his runningmate has written that "it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets" in the forward to a new book by the project's leading voice.On Today's Show:Alex Shephard, senior editor of The New Republic, talks about the latest national political news, including Trump's VP pick JD Vance's media rounds and more on Harris's VP pick Tim Walz.

We dive into the life and political career of the newly-minted Democratic nominee for Vice President. On Today's Show:Ernesto Londoño, Midwest correspondent for The New York Times based in Minnesota, provides a full biography of Minnesota governor turned Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz.

Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about the Democratic ticket, and listeners weigh in with their thoughts.

Vice President Kamala Harris is polling better than President Joe Biden was before he dropped out, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey.On Today's Show:Nancy Cook, senior national political correspondent at Bloomberg News, breaks down the latest political headlines, including the recent polling numbers and more.

Until recently, the nation’s tech capital, Silicon Valley, was seen as a liberal bastion, but the tech billionaires are starting to diverge in their political ideologies.On Today's Show:Erin Griffith, New York Times reporter covering tech companies and Silicon Valley, explains what's going on with the infighting and how wealthy tech donors are influencing the 2024 presidential election with their money.

After a tumultuous Supreme Court term that included the presidential immunity opinion and reporting that showed Justice Thomas received undisclosed gifts and favors from a GOP megadonor, President Biden has proposed changes to the court, including term limits and a code of ethics.On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation magazine, host of the new podcast, "Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal," and author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (New Press, 2022), offers legal analysis of the proposed reforms, and talks about how likely it is that they would make it through Congress.

With Vice President Harris now taking the reins as the likely Democratic nominee for President, we look at her biography, and how her position on the Israel-Hamas war might impact her standing with voters.On Today's Show:Joan Walsh, The Nation's national affairs correspondent and the co-author of Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America (The New Press, 2023), and Christopher Cadelago, California bureau chief at Politico, talk about the latest national political news, with a focus on Vice President Kamala Harris's biography as she locks up the Democratic nomination for president.

The vitriol and tribalism in American politics has taken its toll on our civic society.On Today's Show:Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, talks about research into and strategies to reduce political polarization in the United States, especially in this fraught election year.

The presidential election news cycle continues to pick up steam ahead of November.On Today's Show:Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today, talks about the news from Washington, including President Biden's speech, Netanyahu's visit, and the Harris campaign.

Micah Loewinger is the brand new co-host of WNYC's On the Media, who has covered the far right for the program, and once testified before Congress on his reporting ahead of the Jan.6 insurrection.On Today's Show: Brooke Gladstone, co-host of WNYC's On The Media, and Micah talk about their plans for the show and how it might evolve.

President Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, throwing his support, and his existing campaign infrastructure to Vice President Kamala Harris.On Today's Show:Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent at New York Magazine and author of The Long Alliance: The Imperfect Union of Joe Biden and Barack Obama (Henry Holt and Co., 2022), reports on the news from his position as a reporter steeped in Biden world. Plus, Democratic voters call in to share their thoughts and feelings on this huge shakeup to the campaign.

On today's show: Hakeem Jeffries U.S. Representative (D NY-8th, Brooklyn) and House minority leader, talks about the debate engulfing the Democrats over whether President Biden should stay in the race.

When Republican vice presidential candidate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), addressed the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, he said "America is not just an idea." Many took that as a defense of a nationalism rooted more in the land and in identity.On Today's Show:Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent at Vox and the author of The Reactionary Spirit: How America's Most Insidious Political Tradition Swept the World (PublicAffairs, 2024), explores the resistance to democratic ideals that has always accompanied progress toward greater freedom and how that reactionary movement is active here and around the world.

As the Republican National Convention takes place this week, there may be a through line from pivotal speeches from the last 100 years to today.On Today's Show:Continuing our centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, CNN political analyst, NPR contributor, and author of several books and co-editor with Karen J. Greenberg of the forthcoming Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue (NYU Press, 2024), walks us through pivotal RNC speeches from the last 100 years.

On Monday at the Republican National Convention, Sen. J.D. Vance was announced as the V.P. pick and Sen. Tim Scott addressed the crowd.On Today's Show:Rev. Dr. William Barber, a Protestant minister, social activist, professor, and founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, president of Repairers of the Breach and the author of White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy (Liveright, 2024), responds to their takes on poverty and argues that low-income Americans joining together represent "the largest potential swing vote in the country."

The Republican National Convention takes place this week in Milwaukee, WI, this week, after an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump took place over the weekend.On Today's Show:Tamara Keith, senior NPR White House correspondent and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast, talks about the latest national political news, including the fallout from the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally, after which both Republicans and Democrats called on Americans to "lower the temperature" politically, and the start of the Republican National Convention.

Thursday was the last day of the NATO summit in Washington, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic alliance.On Today's Show:Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), joins to recap the event, including a breakdown of President Joe Biden's press conference and what the 2024 election might mean for the future of the alliance.

The GOP's 'Project 2025,' which offers a roadmap for a radically conservative government, speaks more to social issues and the culture wars than to the concerns of workers. 'On Today's Show:Steven Greenhouse, senior fellow at The Century Foundation, former longtime labor reporter at the New York Times and the author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor (Knopf, 2019) discusses the contrast in how Democrats and Republicans (including Project 2025) approach labor.

The Republican platform was released this week, ahead of next week's national convention. And meanwhile, Democratic politicians remain divided on whether Pres. Biden should be their nominee.On today's show:Erin Doherty, politics reporter covering breaking news and the 2024 election for Axios, discusses the latest in election news headlines.

The GOP's party platform has gone through some changes related to Donald Trump's approach to politics, and to the way that abortion has changed as a political issue since Roe was overturned. On Today's Show:Jeet Heer, writer for The Nation, shares his take on Republican politics, plus how Democrats should proceed with the 2024 election.

With pundits and Democratic leaders pushing to replace President Biden on the 2024 presidential ticket, we look at his political future. 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 analysis of the latest national political news, including the frenzy around President Biden's fitness to remain in the campaign after the debate, and more.

As we celebrate the founding of this country on the Fourth of July, and many people are concerned about the strength of democracy in the United States, Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti, executive director of the Moynihan Center, professor of political science at The City College of New York, and author of the book 20 Years of Rage: How Resentment Took the Place of Politics (Mondadori, 2024), compares the state of our democracy then and now.

In France and Britain, two major upcoming elections this week are poised to overturn current, long-term ruling parties in both countries.On Today's Show:Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief at The Economist, and Andrew Palmer, Britain editor at The Economist, break down the latest on the UK general election, scheduled for July 4th, and the results of the first-out-of-two rounds of elections of the National Assembly in France.

We hear a rundown of some new reporting on women affiliated with the GOP, from members of Congress, to candidates around the country. On Today's Show:Rebecca Traister, writer at New York Magazine and author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger (Simon and Schuster, 2018), talks about her reporting on women in the Republican Party, and other national political news.

Today was the Supreme Court's final day of opinions, on immunity for former president Trump over his 'official' or 'unofficial' acts while in office that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection.On Today's Show:Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and author of the forthcoming The Rule of Law: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2024), offers legal analysis

Yesterday evening, President Biden struggled at times to deliver cohearant points, while former president Trump pushed numerous falsehoods on the CNN debate stage in Atlanta.On Today's Show:Sabrina Siddiqui, national politics reporter at The Wall Street Journal, offers analysis of Thursday night's debate between President Biden and former President Trump, and listeners weighed in with their perspectives on the future of the 2024 presidential election.

On today's show: Peter Hamby, founding partner at Puck News and host of Snapchat's Good Luck America, previews the presidential debate between President Biden and Donald Trump.

We discuss the Supreme Court's latest decision, this one about the limits of government input on social media moderation policiesOn 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," offers analysis of the ruling, and of the upcoming presidential debate between President Biden and former president Trump.

With the economy listed as a top priority for voters in the 2024 presidential election, we explore the candidates' records on money matters. On Today's Show:Jim Tankersley, New York Times White House correspondent with a focus on economic policy, discusses the economic policies Joe Biden and Donald Trump are pitching to voters ahead of Thursday's presidential debate.

The first debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump is set to take place next Thursday.On Today's Show:Azi Paybarah, national reporter covering campaigns and breaking politics news at The Washington Post, previews the debate and how each candidate is preparing, plus more on the national political headlines.

With the Supreme Court's ruling on gun rights and domestic violence this morning, and a new mandate in Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in public school, we discuss the Bill Of Rights in practice.On Today's Show:Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago and author of the forthcoming The Rule of Law: A very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2024) offers legal analysis of the Supreme Court's recent opinions, and other legal news.

President Biden's latest executive action aims to help DACA recipients, and the undocumented spouses and stepchildren of American citizens.On Today's Show:Allan Wernick, senior legal advisor to CUNY Citizenship Now! - the City University of New York's free immigration law service program, explains in more detail what the orders are meant to do, and offers advice for callers in those groups.

This Juneteenth, we explore the real human story behind the myths about Harriet Tubman, including her spirituality, her relationship with nature, and the disability she lived with while liberating so many enslaved people.On Today's Show:Tiya Miles, professor of history and former chair of the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard University and the National Book Award–winning author of All That She Carried, talks about her new book, Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People (‎Penguin Press, 2024), that places Harriet Tubman in the context of the natural world she inhabited and her spirituality.

After the Supreme Court ruled a ban on "bump stocks," how are lawmakers in Congress thinking about the politics of gun policy?On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in Washington, including recent Supreme Court decisions and President Biden's immigration policies, and more.

The Israel-Hamas War is a New York Democratic Primary issue. On today's show: Congressman (and Candidate) Jamaal Bowman (D-NY16) discusses his stance.

World leaders of the G7 are flocking to Italy for the annual G7 Summit, and so are world leaders from everywhere else. On today's show:Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a column on life in Biden's Washington and co-anchors a weekly roundtable discussion on "The Political Scene" podcast, and co-author with Peter Baker of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 (Doubleday, 2022), offers political analysis of the news coming out of the G-7 Summit, including how Western countries are attempting to woo the Global South.

During today's live show, news broke that the Supreme Court upheld the FDA's approval of mifepristone, a medical abortion drug.On Today's Show:Listeners reflect on the news, and Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of "The Campaign Moment" newsletter for The Washington Post, shares his analysis, and discusses the latest primary results and what they might mean for November's races, and other national politics news.

The conflict Gaza has created divisions within the Democratic party over human rights, and support for Israel.On Today's Show:George Latimer, Westchester County Executive challenging U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D, NY 16) in the New York State's June 25th primary, talks about his primary campaign and what he thinks the U.S.'s approach to this global conflict should look like.

What makes a particular city in Arizona a good indicator of the future of both American democracy, as well as the climate crisis?On Today's Show:George Packer, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021), reports on Phoenix as a test of the U.S.'s ability to respond to climate change, and other issues facing the nation?

Last week, President Biden issued an executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border when crossings surge.On today's show:Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), explains his opposition to the executive order and argues that the U.S. has historically resettled large numbers of asylum-seekers and needs additional pathways to legal immigration.

A new book explores attempts to put a price on whiteness, based on explorations of generational wealth and experience.On Today's Show:Tracie McMillan, journalist, former managing editor of City Limits and the author of The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America (McMillan, 2024), traces the financial impact of historical benefits not afforded Black Americans on her own family and that of four others.

European officials are reportedly convinced that former president Trump Trump is going to win the election in November.On Today's Show:McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Romney: A Reckoning (Simon & Schuster, 2023), shares his reporting, and why some foreign leaders are increasingly alarmed at the prospect.

President Biden's executive action on the southern border, his son's trial and the latest on the role of the U.S. in cease fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.On Today's Show:Jonathan Lemire, host of “Way Too Early" on MSNBC, Politico White House bureau chief, and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 (Flatiron Books, 2022), talks about the latest national political news

After Dobbs and other Supreme Court decisions that restrict certain rights at the federal level, are there strategies for progressives to codify those rights at the state level?On Today's Show:Eyal Press, contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America (Macmillan, 2021), talks about renewed efforts to focus on the rights found in individual state constitutions.

Both parties try to maximize the political advantage of Donald Trump's guilty verdicts in the Manhattan trial, as jury selection starts in the Hunter Biden case in federal court. On Today's Show:Jill Colvin, national political reporter for the Associated Press, talks about the political impact of the Trump verdict on the presidential campaign, the start of the Hunter Biden trial, and the campaigns' embrace of TikTok.

Yesterday afternoon, former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. On Today's Show:Andrea Bernstein, journalist reporting on Trump legal matters for NPR, host of many podcasts including "Will be Wild" and "Trump, Inc." and the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), reports on the guilty verdict for President Trump from her vantage point from the courtroom, and as a longtime reporter on the former president and his business dealings.

Donald Trump's hush money case is currently being deliberated by the jurors after hearing weeks of arguments.On Today's Show:Andrew Weissmann, professor of practice at NYU School of Law, lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel's Office, co-author of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024) and co-host of the podcast "Prosecuting Donald Trump," explains the central questions the jury is discussing as well as what impact the jury's decision, whatever it may be, could have on our legal system and future political campaigns.

Presidential polls showing a decline in popularity since 2020 for Pres. Biden among younger voters, as well as Black and Latino voters -- traditionally groups that vote for Democrats. On Today's Show:Eric Levitz, senior correspondent at Vox, shares his theory behind the change and the role trust in institutions plays a big part.