The Briefing with Michael Waldman

The midterms will have colossal political implications, but perhaps the most important story is just how smoothly the elections ran. Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress the vote and over $1 billion in dark money spent, voters stood up and made their voices heard clearly. This week, Michael is joined by the Brennan Center’s Wendy Weiser and Marina Pino to discuss the issues that...

Polling shows voters are deeply frustrated about political corruption. Industries like AI, crypto, and online gambling are pouring millions of dollars into the midterms, hoping to gain influence and shape federal regulations. Will the results of the 2026 midterms prove to be historically consequential? This week, CNN’s Dana Bash joins to discuss her new book, The Elections That Changed the World:...

With Election Day less than two weeks away, many Americans are just tuning in to what will be on their ballot. But organizers like our guests Saad Amer and Alma Couverthie work year-round to engage Americans and mobilize communities to show up to vote. Saad Amer has independently organized massive youth outreach campaigns, partnering with tech platforms and high-profile celebrities to get out the...

Foreign interference, conspiracy theories from the White House, threats to election officials, and even weather disasters could all affect elections — but according to experts across the political spectrum, our system is built to prevail. This week, Michael is joined by Ben Ginsberg, Republican lawyer and cofounder of the Election Official Legal Defense Network, to discuss how heated partisan rhet...

The “Latino vote” may be decisive in the upcoming election. A diverse and complex group, it continues to defy easy categorization. Political preferences vary influenced by age, geography, religion, and family background. And a series of obstacles and threats could limit Latino political power – especially amid the unfolding crackdown by ICE.  This week, Michael Waldman speaks with Adrian Fontes, A...

The Supreme Court term starts the first Monday in October. It’s an annual reminder that the institution looms large over our governmental system. The Court is no longer coequal branch, but in many ways a super-legislature. Its members are unelected and serve for life. Some believe it has been captured by a faction of a faction. And its power only grows. What will this term bring? What are the key...

We are weeks away from a consequential midterm election, which will set the course for the president’s final two years in office and beyond. Yet we have no way of knowing is who exactly is spending billions of dollars to try to sway the outcomes. This week, Michael sits down with New York Times reporter Theodore Schleifer to talk about his reporting on this , which outlines the huge amount of dark...

The Trump administration has been leading an unprecedented campaign to undermine Americans’ right to vote. Luckily, his legislative attempts and executive orders have been halted by Congress and the courts. But will this matter if confusion encourages voters to sit out the midterms? This week, Michael is joined by Brennan Center experts to discuss the current state of voting rights and how to prot...

Are we a country based on ideals, on the American creed set out in our founding documents? Or are we a nation of blood and soil, as Vice President JD Vance has argued? Both these strains run throughout American history. Those of us on the side of equality and inclusion have much to learn from those who have come before.  This week we’re joined by Ben Rhodes to discuss his new book, All We Say , in...

This week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on Donald Trump’s executive order on mail voting. Headlines suggested that the justices had given Trump a green light.  What did the Supreme Court actually do? And what does this mean for voters?   In this urgent episode of The Briefing, Michael Waldman clears away the confusion, as well as explains the Court’s action and what comes next. He says, “I’m...

Does Congress need reform? To many, it's weaker and more hollowed out than ever. But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Brennan Center expert Maya Kornberg has extensively researched the institution’s complexities and created a list of solutions that could make it stronger and more productive at responding to the needs of the American people. We discuss her proposed solutions and debate reform w...

We’re back! After a summer hiatus, the podcast returns to discuss a major new study by the Brennan Center on how artificial intelligence can affect the upcoming election.  A team of technology experts looked at how popular chatbots responded to prompts related to election conspiracy theories.  We found good news and bad news. Chatbots often pushed back against false information, but they were also...

We’re about 110 days out from the midterms, and the threats to our elections are mounting. This week alone, President Trump fired all remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, the federal agency that helps states fund and administer elections. At the same time, a federal judge blocked baseless subpoenas targeting election workers in Fulton County, while the Department of Justice sen...

This week, Michael is joined by Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, for a wide-ranging conversation on the power of coalition building in a moment of deep challenge.  Drawing on her experience as a lifelong activist and the daughter of influential organizers, Wiley offers perspective and stresses urgency. At a time marked by rising discriminatory r...

As the nation approaches its 250th birthday, the Supreme Court has ended its term with a slew of rulings that further undermine our constitutional system of checks and balances and allow more money to flood our political system. What do the Court’s most recent rulings mean for executive power? Where does Congress fit in? Can any campaign finance regulation ever be legal? Is birthright citizenship...

In this week’s episode, Jesse Wegman joins Michael Waldman to discuss his new book, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution , the first major biography of James Wilson. Wilson was a coauthor of the Constitution (his words: “We the People”). He signed both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, was one of the first Supreme Court justices...

Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the state’s leading voter registration organization. This is part of the latest and most aggressive escalation in the DOJ's ongoing investigation over alleged voter fraud. This show of force raises serious questions about voting rights, election administration, and public trust in the integrity of election...

At the beginning of his second administration, Trump said about accusations of corruption and conflicts of interest: “I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.” According to a new Brennan Center poll , that is emphatically false. Americans care deeply. And they are furious. Voters see corruption as a deep-seated issue embedded in the structure of our government. They are tired of lawmaker...

This month, the Supreme Court will likely finish its work for the year. Already this term, it has aggressively and controversially asserted its authority — most recently gutting the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais . Soon, the Court is expected to rule on cases that could dramatically alter the constitutional order. Some will tell us whether the Court will stand up to Trump’s extraordinar...

Today, there is a great deal of ferment on the right. The primary ideas and policies are very different from those that previously dominated conservative politics. They are obscure and provocative and often run counter to the traditional U.S. embrace of liberalism and constitutional democracy. And they are increasingly influential in Washington and elsewhere. Listen as Laura Field, author of Furio...

The Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais has set off a redistricting race to the bottom. States, particularly in the South, are scrambling to redraw their maps to undercut Black representation — all in the name of partisanship. It marks the end of a project, since the passage of the Voting Rights Act, to restrict the right to vote. And the frenzy that has ensued represents the worst of par...

As a host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, on MSNOW, in her classes at NYU School of Law, and in op-eds, Melissa Murray is known for her accessible explanations of constitutional law. In her new book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader , Murray brings her signature insights to bear on the document at the heart of U.S. law and legal culture.   Watch as M...

In the wake of the Louisiana v. Callais ruling, calls for Supreme Court reform have grown louder. What would a reform agenda look like? And how would it strengthen the Court as an institution? The Brennan Center recently published the second installment in its series on Solutions for a Stronger Democracy: “ Six Solutions to Fix the Supreme Court .” Listen as experts discuss the Court’s major issue...

This week, the Supreme Court struck down the remaining enforcement tool of the Voting Rights Act — the law often called the crown jewel of the civil rights movement. In this emergency episode, Brennan Center experts analyze the ruling and assess what it will mean for voters in 2026 and beyond. They also discuss what Congress should do — right now — to preserve the equal right to vote. Recorded on...

As the midterm elections draw near, the questions of how voters get their information and who they are listening to are top of mind. Polling shows that more than half of Americans get at least some of their news from social media — and that number is even larger for younger voters. V Spehar is an expert on political discourse online and a content creator with over 4 million followers. They are kno...