Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

The federal government is aiming to take steps to reduce public funding to public media sources through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On Today's Show: LaFontaine Oliver , president and CEO of New York Public Radio, talks about the executive order President Trump signed regarding federal funding for public media and what comes next for the NYPR and the broader system. Hosted by Simplecas...

A Democratic senator outlines his critiques of the Trump administration, and outlines his prescription for protecting the guardrails of democracy. On Today's Show: Chris Murphy , U.S. Senator (D-CT), author of The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy  (Random House, 2020) talks about his critique of DHS and the effect of Trump administration policies in Connecticut. H...

At a recent primary event for Democrats hoping to be NJ's next Governor, candidates discussed how they are thinking about a relationship with President Trump's administration.  On Today's Show: Michael Hill , WNYC Morning Edition host and Briana Vannozzi , anchor for "NJ Spotlight News," recap and offer analysis of a conversation between New Jersey's Democratic candidates for governor. Hosted by S...

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson has made comments characterizing the Trump administration's behavior toward the legal profession as "threats and harassment." On Today's Show: Mark Joseph Stern , senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law, previews the end of the Supreme Court term, and talks about the arrest of Newark NJ's mayor Ras Baraka. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz comp...

In president Trump's first administration, he stated that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are "not money". Now, his sons head their own crypto company. On Today's Show: David Yaffe-Bellany , technology reporter for The New York Times , covering the crypto industry, shares his reporting on the ways the Trump family has financially benefitted from embracing the industry in these first few months...

Communication blackouts, delayed flights, staffing shortages -- New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport has been in crisis mode for the past week.  On Today's Show: Pete Muntean, CNN correspondent covering aviation and transportation, pilot, and flight instructor, takes us behind the scenes of the multiday meltdown at Newark, and explains what's caused these problems for travelers and st...

Last week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Food and Drug Administration would require all new vaccines to be tested against placebos and to develop new vaccines without using mRNA technology. On Today's Show: Christina Jewett , reporter covering Food and Drug Administration for The New York Times , explains what that will mean for future drugs, including COVID-19 booster...

With the impacts of President Trump's trade wars beginning to be felt in the US, we discuss the macro- and micro-economics of the administration's trade policy. On Today's Show: Kimberly Adams , senior Washington correspondent for Marketplace and the co-host of the Marketplace podcast “Make Me Smart,” talks about the latest news on tariffs, including the end of the de minimis exemption, which may...

With officials and lawmakers in Washington D.C. discussing federal budget priorities, we look the coming year in government funding.  On Today's Show: Kadia Goba , politics reporter for Semafor, reports on the latest news from Congress, including where things stand on budget negotiations, the SAVE Act and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

Several cases of the Trump administration's immigration detentions and deportations have raised questions about due process. On Today's Show: Nick Miroff , staff writer for The Atlantic who covers immigration and the Department of Homeland Security, talks about the behind the scenes negotiations between the Trump administration and the president of El Salvador about the US sending deportees there,...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously discussed  blocking women from military service, though has since backed off on those efforts. On Today's Show: Katherine Sharp Landdeck , professor of history and director of Pioneers Oral History Project at Texas Woman's University and the author of The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World Wa...

After 100 days of Trump's second term, questions have arisen about birthright citizenship, the arrests of judges and deportations without due process. On Today's Show: David Remnick , editor of The New Yorker and the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, offers his assessment of Trump's second term so far, and the opposition that is beginning to form. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm...

Recently, NJ Sen. Andy Kim made an unannounced visit to a federal immigration detention facility.  On Today's Show: Andy Kim , U.S. Senator (D-NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues facing the Garden State. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After his first few months in office, where have the initial actions of the Trump administration aligned with Project 2025? On Today's Show: David Graham , staff writer at The Atlantic, author of their daily newsletter, and author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), shares his analysis of President Trump's agenda. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ad...

The global influence of the Catholic church has been a historically important force on the international stage.  On Today's Show: Daniel Rober , associate professor and department chair of the Catholic Studies department at Sacred Heart University, talks about the leading contenders to be the next pope, the fraught process in the Vatican and the different directions the next leader of the world's...

What constitutes an "authoritarian" government, and what causes them to fail? On Today's Show: Anne Applebaum , staff writer at The Atlantic , historian and author of Autocracy Inc. (Penguin, 2024), argues the checks on presidential power, put in place by the founders, have so far failed in the second Trump administration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informati...

The National Institute of Health is set to cut funding for climate research. On Today's Show: Maggie Astor , New York Times  reporter covering the intersection between health and public policy, explains the broader impact these cuts may have on our public health. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertis...

The Trump administration's recent deportation efforts have raised questions about the law around citizenship and the removal of non-citizens from the country. On Today's Show: Quinta Jurecic , contributing writer at The Atlantic , fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, and senior editor at Lawfare, offers legal analysis of the Supreme Court's recent rulings on deportation and h...

President Trump has frozen some federal funds to Harvard University, and has a list of demands in order to unfreeze it. On Today's Show: Rick Seltzer, reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, talks about the latest news in the escalating fight between the Ivy League and the Trump administration, including how Harvard would likely have used that money, and what it means for higher education...

There's an ongoing stand-off between a federal judge and the Trump administration over their deportation practices.  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...

The legal and ethical considerations behind in vitro fertilization have gotten more complicated since SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade. On Today's Show: Anna Louie Sussman , freelance journalist covering gender, economics, health, and reproduction, discusses her three-part series for The New York Times about human embryos, which explores the IVF process today, and what it means for parenthood, privac...

The Federal Trade Commission will argue that the social media giant Meta, formerly Facebook, maintained a monopoly after it bought Instagram and WhatsApp. On Today's Show: Cristiano Lima-Strong , associate editor at Tech Policy Press, offers analysis of the FTC's antitrust case. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal d...

As they head to recess, pressure mounts on Republican lawmakers to fulfill President Donald Trump's agenda. On Today's Show: Catie Edmondson , congressional correspondent for The New York Times , offers political analysis of the budget blueprints passed by Congress last week, including what tax and spending cuts might look like and why Republicans were far from united on this. Hosted by Simplecast...

On Today's Show: William Cohan , co-founder of Puck News and author of many books, including Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon  (Penguin Random House, 2022), offers analysis of the latest twists and turns of President Trump's trade war, and how Wall Street is reacting to the chaotic rollout — and rollback — of the tariffs.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adsw...

Every month, listeners have the opportunity to speak directly to their lawmakers. On Today's Show: U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY), talks about her work in Washington, and the struggle by Democrats to hold the media's attention in their opposition to the Trump administration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of person...